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    Engineering Micropatterned Dry Adhesives: From Contact Theory to Handling Applications
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2018) Hensel, René; Moh, Karsten; Arzt, Eduard
    Reversible adhesion is the key functionality to grip, place, and release objects nondestructively. Inspired by nature, micropatterned dry adhesives are promising candidates for this purpose and have attracted the attention of research groups worldwide. Their enhanced adhesion compared to nonpatterned surfaces is frequently demonstrated. An important conclusion is that the contact mechanics involved is at least as important as the surface energy and chemistry. In this paper, the roles of the contact geometry and mechanical properties are reviewed. With a focus on applications, the effects of substrate roughness and of temperature variations, and the long-term performance of micropatterned adhesives are discussed. The paper provides a link between the current, detailed understanding of micropatterned adhesives and emerging applications.
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    The springtail cuticle as a blueprint for omniphobic surfaces
    (Cambridge : Royal Society of Chemistry, 2015) Hensel, René; Neinhuis, Christoph; Werner, Carsten
    Omniphobic surfaces found in nature have great potential for enabling novel and emerging products and technologies to facilitate the daily life of human societies. One example is the water and even oil-repellent cuticle of springtails (Collembola). The wingless arthropods evolved a highly textured, hierarchically arranged surface pattern that affords mechanical robustness and wetting resistance even at elevated hydrostatic pressures. Springtail cuticle-derived surfaces therefore promise to overcome limitations of lotus-inspired surfaces (low durability, insufficient repellence of low surface tension liquids). In this review, we report on the liquid-repellent natural surfaces of arthropods living in aqueous or temporarily flooded habitats including water-walking insects or water spiders. In particular, we focus on springtails presenting an overview on the cuticular morphology and chemistry and their biological relevance. Based on the obtained liquid repellence of a variety of liquids with remarkable efficiency, the review provides general design criteria for robust omniphobic surfaces. In particular, the resistance against complete wetting and the mechanical stability strongly both depend on the topographical features of the nano- and micropatterned surface. The current understanding of the underlying principles and approaches to their technological implementation are summarized and discussed.
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    Bioinspired polydimethylsiloxane-based composites with high shear resistance against wet tissue
    (Amsterdam : Elsevier, 2016) Fischer, Sarah C.L.; Levy, Oren; Kroner, Elmar; Hensel, René; Karp, Jeffrey M.; Arzt, Eduard
    Patterned microstructures represent a potential approach for improving current wound closure strategies. Microstructures can be fabricated by multiple techniques including replica molding of soft polymer-based materials. However, polymeric microstructures often lack the required shear resistance with tissue needed for wound closure. In this work, scalable microstructures made from composites based on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) were explored to enhance the shear resistance with wet tissue. To achieve suitable mechanical properties, PDMS was reinforced by incorporation of polyethylene (PE) particles into the pre-polymer and by coating PE particle reinforced substrates with parylene. The reinforced microstructures showed a 6-fold enhancement, the coated structures even a 13-fold enhancement in Young׳s modulus over pure PDMS. Shear tests of mushroom-shaped microstructures (diameter 450 µm, length 1 mm) against chicken muscle tissue demonstrate first correlations that will be useful for future design of wound closure or stabilization implants.
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    In Situ Observation Reveals Local Detachment Mechanisms and Suction Effects in Micropatterned Adhesives
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2019) Tinnemann, Verena; Hernández, Luissé; Fischer, Sarah C.L.; Arzt, Eduard; Bennewitz, Roland; Hensel, René
    Fibrillar adhesion pads of insects and geckoes have inspired the design of high-performance adhesives enabling a new generation of handling devices. Despite much progress over the last decade, the current understanding of these adhesives is limited to single contact pillars and the behavior of whole arrays is largely unexplored. In the study reported here, a novel approach is taken to gain insight into the detachment mechanisms of whole micropatterned arrays. Individual contacts are imaged by frustrated total internal reflection, allowing in situ observation of contact formation and separation during adhesion tests. The detachment of arrays is found to be governed by the distributed adhesion strength of individual pillars, but no collaborative effect mediated by elastic interactions can be detected. At the maximal force, about 30% of the mushroom structures are already detached. The adhesive forces decrease with reduced air pressure by 20% for the smooth and by 6% for the rough specimen. These contributions are attributed to a suction effect, whose strength depends critically on interfacial defects controlling the sealing quality of the contact. This dominates the detachment process and the resulting adhesion strength. © 2019 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim