The effect of flexible joint-like elements on the adhesive performance of nature-inspired bent mushroom-like fibers

• Elliot Geikowsky,
• Serdar Gorumlu and
• Burak Aksak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2893–2905, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.268

• : bent fibers; bioinspired dry adhesives; gecko adhesion; joint-like element; mushroom-like fibers; Introduction Most natural organisms that rely on temporary adhesion to surfaces for survival do so using tiny, densely packed fibers [1][2]. These fibers vary in dimension and material properties

• master mold for bent fibers (Figure 11f). This mold is then used to cast bent fibers of a stiff polyurethane material of elastic modulus Es = 126 MPa (Figure 11g and Figure 11h). Fabrication of mushroom-like fibers with joint-like elements The fabrication process of fibers with soft joints and mushroom

The optimal shape of elastomer mushroom-like fibers for high and robust adhesion

• Burak Aksak,
• Korhan Sahin and
• Metin Sitti

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 630–638, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.74

• performance on smooth surfaces matching the adhesive strengths obtained with the natural gecko foot-pads. It is possible to improve the already impressive adhesive performance of mushroom-like fibers provided that the underlying adhesion mechanism is understood. Here, the adhesion mechanism of bio-inspired

• mushroom-like fibers is investigated by implementing the Dugdale–Barenblatt cohesive zone model into finite elements simulations. It is found that the magnitude of pull-off stress depends on the edge angle θ and the ratio of the tip radius to the stalk radius β of the mushroom-like fiber. Pull-off stress

• adhesives. Keywords: gecko; mushroom-like fibers; adhesion; Introduction We need to look no further than nature to find inspiration for many of the technologies we work on today. One such field that observations on natural systems have impacted significantly in the recent years is adhesive technologies