Functional surfaces for controlled adhesion

Abstract

Adhesive joining with molecular (van der Waals) interactions without chemical glue is presently receiving much attention because of many potential applications. Research on how insects, spiders and geckos stick to surfaces has inspired a new paradigm: fibrillar surfaces with appropriate design can show much higher adhesion performance than flat surfaces. The insight gained in studying biological systems can be transferred to the development of optimized artificial attachment devices. By systematic variations of fiber diameter, aspect ratio and contact shape, we have produced, on a laboratory scale, artificial structures with adhesion strengths similar to the gecko. Further advances with switchable adhesion ("smart adhesives") have been demonstrated and may lead to interesting applications in medical products, sports equipment, construction materials and microfabrication.