Robust scalable reversible strong adhesion by gecko-inspired composite design

• DOI: 10.1007/s40544-021-0522-4
• Publication Date: 2021-08-12T15:02:47Z
• Authors: Xiaosong Li; Pengpeng Bai; Xinxin Li; Lvzhou Li; Yuanzhe Li; Hongyu Lu; Liran Ma; Yonggang Meng; Yu Tian
• Keywords: 02 engineering and technology; 0210 nano-technology

AbstractBio-inspired reversible adhesion has significant potential in many fields requiring flexible grasping and manipulation, such as precision manufacturing, flexible electronics, and intelligent robotics. Despite extensive efforts for adhesive synthesis with a high adhesion strength at the interface, an effective strategy to actively tune the adhesion capacity between a strong attachment and an easy detachment spanning a wide range of scales has been lagged. Herein, we report a novel soft-hard-soft sandwiched composite design to achieve a stable, repeatable, and reversible strong adhesion with an easily scalable performance for a large area ranging from ∼1.5 to 150 cm2 and a high load ranging from ∼20 to 700 N. Theoretical studies indicate that this design can enhance the uniform loading for attachment by restraining the lateral shrinkage in the natural state, while facilitate a flexible peeling for detachment by causing stress concentration in the bending state, yielding an adhesion switching ratio of ∼54 and a switching time of less than ∼0.2 s. This design is further integrated into versatile grippers, climbing robots, and human climbing grippers, demonstrating its robust scalability for a reversible strong adhesion. This biomimetic design bridges microscopic interfacial interactions with macroscopic controllable applications, providing a universal and feasible paradigm for adhesion design and control.