The objective of this NIRT project on Biologically Inspired Synthetic Gecko Adhesives is to use a biologically inspired approach, where static and dynamic measurements of gecko hair function, from the nanoscale to the whole animal will lead to development of mechanical and adhesive models. Among the 850 recognized species of geckos, those with design features easiest to model and fabricate will be chosen. Mechanical models of gecko hair patches will be analyzed and simulated to determine the conditions for robust elastic and adhesive interactions with rough surfaces. In parallel, setal hairs and sptulae will be nanofabricated using self-assembly of block copolymers. Measurements on low-complexity spatula arrays will be used to refine models of biological gecko adhesion and to guide the design of more complicated, and more functional, synthetic gecko adhesive patches which include a flexible substrate, setal hairs, and a hundred million nanoscale spatula tips per square centimeters.
