Nanoscale characterization of the temporary adhesive of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus

• Ana S. Viana and
• Romana Santos

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2277–2286, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.212

• curves and positive thioflavin-T labelling. Conclusion: Our results confirm that like other temporary adhesives, the sea urchin adhesive footprint nanostructure consists of a meshwork of entangled globular nanostructures. Under native conditions, the adhesive footprints of the sea urchin behaved like a

• . Keywords: adhesive footprint; atomic force microscopy; nanomechanical properties; sea urchin; temporary adhesion; Introduction Unlike the thin homogeneous films that are typical for adhesives produced by humans, biological adhesives present complex hierarchical micro- and nanostructures. Among marine

• adhesive footprint was quite variable, giving different aspects to the adhesive material. Therefore, thickness measurements by AFM were only performed in thin areas, at the edges of the footprint, where the adhesive material was not folded nor rippled. The obtained thickness values ranged between 30 and 50