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June 9, 2003
Volume 81, Number 23
CENEAR 81 23 p. 11
ISSN 0009-2347
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STUCK UP
Gecko tape duplicates basis of lizard's staying power
SOPHIE WILKINSON
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IN SUSPENSE This 40-g Spider-Man toy was suspended from a glass plate, thanks to Gecko tape on his palm.
Reprinted with permission from Nature Materials, 2003
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Geckos stick to walls and ceilings thanks to van der Waals interactions between these surfacesand millions of tiny hairs on the soles of the lizard's feet (C&EN, Sept. 2, 2002, page 10). The impressive properties of what is essentially a gecko-based dry, reusable adhesive have now been replicated in a synthetic product [Nat. Mat., published online June 1, http://dx.doi.org/
10.1038/nmat917]. Andre K. Geim, director of the Centre for Mesoscience & Nanotechnology at the University of Manchester, in England, and colleagues used electron-beam lithography and dry etching in oxygen plasma to create an array of flexible polyimide hairs (shown) on a polyimide film base. Attaching the film to adhesive tape provides a flexible support that maximizes contact between the hairs and an uneven contact surface.
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Chemical & Engineering News
Copyright © 2003 American Chemical Society |
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