A microfabricated wedge-shaped adhesive array displaying gecko-like dynamic adhesion,directionality and long lifetime

Gecko adhesion has become a paradigmatic example of bio-inspired engineering, yet among the many gecko-like synthetic adhesives (GSAs), truly gecko-like performance remains elusive. Many GSAs have previously demonstrated one or two features of the gecko adhesive. We present a new wedge-shaped GSA that exhibits several gecko-like properties simultaneously: directional features; zero force at detachment; high ratio of detachment force to preload force; non-adhesive default state; and the ability to maintain performance while sliding, even after thousands of cycles. Individual wedges independently detach and reattach during sliding, resulting in high levels of shear and normal adhesion during drag. This behaviour provides a non-catastrophic failure mechanism that is desirable for applications such as climbing robots where sudden contact failure would result in serious falls. The effects of scaling patch sizes up to tens of square centimetres are also presented and discussed. Patches of 1 cm² had an adhesive pressure of 5.1 kPa while simultaneously supporting 17.0 kPa of shear. After 30 000 attachment/detachment cycles, a patch retained 67 per cent of its initial adhesion and 76 per cent of its initial shear without cleaning. Square-based wedges of 20 μm and 50 μm are manufactured in a moulding process where moulds are fabricated using a dual-side, dual-angle lithography process on quartz wafers with SU-8 photoresist as the mould material and polydimethylsiloxane as the cast material.     

Role of contact electrification and electrostatic interactions in gecko adhesion

Geckos, which are capable of walking on walls and hanging from ceilings with the help of micro-/nano-scale hierarchical fibrils (setae) on their toe pads, have become the main prototype in the design and fabrication of fibrillar dry adhesives. As the unique fibrillar feature of the toe pads of geckos allows them to develop an intimate contact with the substrate the animal is walking on or clinging to, it is expected that the toe setae exchange significant numbers of electric charges with the contacted substrate via the contact electrification (CE) phenomenon. Even so, the possibility of the occurrence of CE and the contribution of the resulting electrostatic interactions to the dry adhesion of geckos have been overlooked for several decades. In this study, by measuring the magnitude of the electric charges, together with the adhesion forces, that gecko foot pads develop in contact with different materials, we have clarified for the first time that CE does contribute effectively to gecko adhesion. More importantly, we have demonstrated that it is the CE-driven electrostatic interactions which dictate the strength of gecko adhesion, and not the van der Waals or capillary forces which are conventionally considered as the main source of gecko adhesion.     

Insect adhesion on rough surfaces: analysis of adhesive contact of smooth and hairy pads on transparent microstructured substrates

Insect climbing footpads are able to adhere to rough surfaces, but the details of this capability are still unclear. To overcome experimental limitations of randomly rough, opaque surfaces, we fabricated transparent test substrates containing square arrays of 1.4 µm diameter pillars, with variable height (0.5 and 1.4 µm) and spacing (from 3 to 22 µm). Smooth pads of cockroaches (Nauphoeta cinerea) made partial contact (limited to the tops of the structures) for the two densest arrays of tall pillars, but full contact (touching the substrate in between pillars) for larger spacings. The transition from partial to full contact was accompanied by a sharp increase in shear forces. Tests on hairy pads of dock beetles (Gastrophysa viridula) showed that setae adhered between pillars for larger spacings, but pads were equally unable to make full contact on the densest arrays. The beetles'' shear forces similarly decreased for denser arrays, but also for short pillars and with a more gradual transition. These observations can be explained by simple contact models derived for soft uniform materials (smooth pads) or thin flat plates (hairy-pad spatulae). Our results show that microstructured substrates are powerful tools to reveal adaptations of natural adhesives for rough surfaces.     

Simulation of synthetic gecko arrays shearing on rough surfaces

To better understand the role of surface roughness and tip geometry in the adhesion of gecko synthetic adhesives, a model is developed that attempts to uncover the relationship between surface feature size and the adhesive terminal feature shape. This model is the first to predict the adhesive behaviour of a plurality of hairs acting in shear on simulated rough surfaces using analytically derived contact models. The models showed that the nanoscale geometry of the tip shape alters the macroscale adhesion of the array of fibres by nearly an order of magnitude, and that on sinusoidal surfaces with amplitudes much larger than the nanoscale features, spatula-shaped features can increase adhesive forces by 2.5 times on smooth surfaces and 10 times on rough surfaces. Interestingly, the summation of the fibres acting in concert shows behaviour much more complex that what could be predicted with the pull-off model of a single fibre. Both the Johnson–Kendall–Roberts and Kendall peel models can explain the experimentally observed frictional adhesion effect previously described in the literature. Similar to experimental results recently reported on the macroscale features of the gecko adhesive system, adhesion drops dramatically when surface roughness exceeds the size and spacing of the adhesive fibrillar features.     

Contaminant adhesion (aerial/ground biofouling) on the skin of a gecko

In this study, we have investigated the micro- and nano-structuring and contaminant adhesional forces of the outer skin layer of the ground dwelling gecko—Lucasium steindachneri. The lizard''s skin displayed a high density of hairs with lengths up to 4 μm which were spherically capped with a radius of curvature typically less than 30 nm. The adhesion of artificial hydrophilic (silica) and hydrophobic (C₁₈) spherical particles and natural pollen grains were measured by atomic force microscopy and demonstrated extremely low values comparable to those recorded on superhydrophobic insects. The lizard scales which exhibited a three-tier hierarchical architecture demonstrated higher adhesion than the trough regions between scales. The two-tier roughness of the troughs comprising folding of the skin (wrinkling) limits the number of contacting hairs with particles of the dimensions used in our study. The gecko skin architecture on both the dorsal and trough regions demonstrates an optimized topography for minimizing solid–solid and solid–liquid particle contact area, as well as facilitating a variety of particulate removal mechanisms including water-assisted processes. These contrasting skin topographies may also be optimized for other functions such as increased structural integrity, levels of wear protection and flexibility of skin for movement and growth. While single hair adhesion is low, contributions of many thousands of individual hairs (especially on the abdominal scale surface and if deformation occurs) may potentially aid in providing additional adhesional capabilities (sticking ability) for some gecko species when interacting with environmental substrates such as rocks, foliage and even man-made structuring.     

Pre-tension generates strongly reversible adhesion of a spatula pad on substrate

Motivated by recent studies on reversible adhesion mechanisms of geckos and insects, we investigate the effect of pre-tension on the orientation-dependent adhesion strength of an elastic tape adhering on a substrate. Our analysis shows that the pre-tension can significantly increase the peel-off force at small peeling angles while decreasing it at large peeling angles, leading to a strongly reversible adhesion. More interestingly, we find that there exists a critical value of pre-tension beyond which the peel-off force plunges to zero at a force-independent critical peeling angle. We further show that the level of pre-tension required for such force-independent detachment at a critical angle can be induced by simply dragging a spatula pad along a substrate at sufficiently low angles. These results provide a feasible explanation of relevant experimental observations on gecko adhesion and suggest possible strategies to design strongly reversible adhesives via pre-tension.     

Strength statistics of adhesive contact between a fibrillar structure and a rough substrate

Equal distribution of load among fibrils in contact with a substrate is an important characteristic of fibrillar structures used by many small animals and insects for contact and adhesion. This is in contrast with continuum systems where stress concentration dominates interfacial failure. In this work, we study how adhesion strength of a fibrillar system depends on substrate roughness and variability of the fibril structure, which are modelled using probability distributions for fibril length and fibril attachment strength. Monte Carlo simulations are carried out to determine the adhesion strength statistics where fibril length follows normal or uniform distribution and attachment strength has a power-law form. Our results indicate that the strength distribution is Gaussian (normal) for both the uniform and the normal distributions for length. However, the fibrillar structure having normally distributed lengths has higher strength and lower toughness than one having uniformly distributed lengths. Our simulations also show that an increase in the compliance of the fibrils can compensate for both the substrate roughness and the attachment strength variation. We also show that, as the number of fibrils n increases, the load-carrying efficiency of each fibril goes down. For large n, this effect is found to be small. Furthermore, this effect is compensated by the fact that the standard deviation of the adhesive strength decreases as 1/ square root n.     

Meniscus and viscous forces during separation of hydrophilic and hydrophobic smooth/rough surfaces with symmetric and asymmetric contact angles

Adhesive or repulsive forces contributed by both meniscus and viscous forces can be significant and become one of the main reliability issues when the contacting surfaces are ultra smooth, and the normal load is small, as is common for micro/nano devices. In this study, both meniscus and viscous forces during separation for smooth and rough hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces are studied. The effects of separation distance, initial meniscus height, separation time, contact angle and roughness are presented. Meniscus force decreases with an increase of separation distance, whereas the viscous force has an opposite trend. Both forces decrease with an increase of initial meniscus height. An increase of separation time, initial meniscus height or a decrease of contact angle leads to an increase of critical meniscus area at which both forces are equivalent. An increase in contact angle leads to a decrease of attractive meniscus force but an increase of repulsive meniscus force (attractive or repulsive dependent on hydrophilic or hydrophobic surface, respectively). Contact angle has a limited effect on the viscous force. For asymmetric contact angles, the magnitude of the meniscus force and the critical meniscus area are in between the values for the two angles. An increase in the number of surface asperities (roughness) leads to an increase of meniscus force; however, its effect on viscous force is trivial. A slightly attractive force is observed for the hydrophobic surface during the end stage of separation though the magnitude is small. The study provides a fundamental understanding of the physics of the separation process and it can be useful for control of the forces in nanotechnology applications.     

Application of nanotechnology to control bacterial adhesion and patterning on material surfaces

Bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation on surfaces raises health hazard issues in the medical environment. Previous studies of bacteria adhesion have focused on observations in their natural/native environments. Recently, surface science has contributed in advancing the understanding of bacterial adhesion by providing ideal platforms that attempt to mimic the bacteria's natural environments, whilst also enabling concurrent control, selectivity and spatial control of bacterial adhesion. In this review, we will look at techniques of how nanotechnology is used to control cell adhesion on a planar scale, in addition to describing the use of nanotools for cell micropatterning. Additionally, it will provide a general background of common methods for nanoscale modification enabling biologist unfamiliar with nanotechnology to enter the field.     

Nanoscale adhesion,friction and wear studies of biomolecules on silane polymer-coated silica and alumina-based surfaces

Proteins on biomicroelectromechanical systems (BioMEMS) confer specific molecular functionalities. In planar FET sensors (field-effect transistors, a class of devices whose protein-sensing capabilities we demonstrated in physiological buffers), interfacial proteins are analyte receptors, determining sensor molecular recognition specificity. Receptors are bound to the FET through a polymeric interface, and gross disruption of interfaces that removes a large percentage of receptors or inactivates large fractions of them diminishes sensor sensitivity. Sensitivity is also determined by the distance between the bound analyte and the semiconductor. Consequently, differential properties of surface polymers are design parameters for FET sensors. We compare thickness, surface roughness, adhesion, friction and wear properties of silane polymer layers bound to oxides (SiO₂ and Al₂O₃, as on AlGaN HFETs). We compare those properties of the film–substrate pairs after an additional deposition of biotin and streptavidin. Adhesion between protein and device and interfacial friction properties affect FET reliability because these parameters affect wear resistance of interfaces to abrasive insult in vivo. Adhesion/friction determines the extent of stickage between the interface and tissue and interfacial resistance to mechanical damage. We document systematic, consistent differences in thickness and wear resistance of silane films that can be correlated with film chemistry and deposition procedures, providing guidance for rational interfacial design for planar AlGaN HFET sensors.     

Linear well-posedness of a hybrid inviscid/viscous flow problem with smooth and discontinuous solutions at the interface

Summary A hybrid inviscid/viscous flow problem is considered in this paper. The interface treatment is uniformly valid for problems with smooth and discontinuous solutions at the interface. It satisfies the requirement of conservation and nonlinear uniqueness for cases where the interface coincides with a shock. The well-posedness in the linear sense is studied for a two-dimensional hybrid inviscid/viscous flow problem.This is because the product of the small viscosity and a small gradient of the flow parameters outside the boundary layer is so small that the computer recognizes this product as zero.     

Reusable and durable electrostatic air filter based on hybrid metallized microfibers decorated with metal-organic-framework nanocrystals

As global air pollution becomes increasingly severe,various types of fibrous filters have been devel-oped to improve air filter performance.However,fibrous filters have limitations such as high packing density that generally causes high-pressure drop and ultimately deterioration in the filtration effi-ciency.High-pressure particulate matter precipitators are limited in terms of scope for commercialization because they require high voltage supplies and ozone generators.In this study,we develop fibrous fil-ters with enhanced durability and improved performance using metallized microfibers decorated with metal-organic-framework(MOF)nanocrystals.Not only does the efficiency of the developed filters remain at or above 97％for 0.50-1.5 μm PMs but the durability also significantly increases.In addi-tion,using the water purification ability of the MOF,we explore the dye degradation effect of the hybrid microfibers by immersing them into Rhodamine B aqueous solution.In such an experiment the Rho-damine B aqueous solution is completely purified by the presence of the hybrid microfibers under the UV irradiation.     

Self-assembled hybrid films of phosphotungstic acid and aminoalkoxysilanes on SiO2/Si surfaces

The present paper describes the influence of the chemical structure of two aminoalkoxysilanes: 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS) and N-(3-(trimethoxysilyl)-propyl)-ethylenediamine (TSPEN) on the morphology of thin layer hybrid films with phosphotungstic acid (HPW), a Keggin heteropolyanion. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses indicated that both silane films showed protonated amine species interacting with the heteropolyanion by electrostatic forces as well as the presence of secondary carbamate anions. The hybrid films have different surface morphology according to atomic force microscopy analyses. The hybrid film with TSPEN forms flatter surfaces than the hybrid film with APTS. This effect is ascribed to higher flexibility and chelating ability of the TSPEN on adsorbed molecules. Ultrasonication effect on surface morphology of the hybrid film with APTS plays a fundamental role on surface roughness delivering enough energy to promote surface diffusion of the HPW heteropolyanions. This diffusion results in agglomerate formation, which corroborates with the assumption of electrostatic bonding between the HPW heteropolyanions and the protonated amine surface. These hybrid films could be used for electrochemical sensor design or to build photochromic and electrochromic multilayers.     

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of a novel push-pull osmotic pump with orifices on both side surfaces

A novel push-pull osmotic pump (PPOP) was developed for delivery of water-insoluble drug gliclazide. Compared to conventional PPOP, which only had orifice(s) on the side of the drug layer, the novel PPOP had orifices of the same diameter on both side surfaces. The in vitro drug-release behavior of both novel PPOP and conventional PPOP were studied and compared; it was found that the drug-release rate of both kinds of PPOP could be influenced by coating level and core hardness whereas orifice size did not have much influence on it, and the study also showed that none of the former factors could influence the similarity of the drug-release profiles of the two kinds of PPOP. Mechanism of drug release from novel PPOP was illustrated using Poiseuille's law of lamina flow, and it was found that under regular formulation, the dissolution profiles of the two kinds of PPOP were similar. In vivo study also showed that the concentration-time profiles of gliclazide in plasma of the two PPOP were comparable and both of them had good in vitro-in vivo correlation. By simply drilled on both side surfaces, the novel PPOP did not need side identification when drilled, so it was more suitable for industrial manufacture than the conventional ones.     

Design of gecko-inspired fibrillar surfaces with strong attachment and easy-removal properties: a numerical analysis of peel-zone

Despite successful fabrication of gecko-inspired fibrillar surfaces with strong adhesion forces, how to achieve an easy-removal property becomes a major concern that may restrict the wide applications of these bio-inspired surfaces. Research on how geckos detach rapidly has inspired the design of novel adhesive surfaces with strong and reversible adhesion capabilities, which relies on further fundamental understanding of the peeling mechanisms. Recent studies showed that the peel-zone plays an important role in the peeling off of adhesive tapes or fibrillar surfaces. In this study, a numerical method was developed to evaluate peel-zone deformation and the resulting mechanical behaviour due to the deformations of fibrillar surfaces detaching from a smooth rigid substrate. The effect of the geometrical parameters of pillars and the stiffness of backing layer on the peel-zone and peel strength, and the strong attachment and easy-removal properties have been analysed to establish a design map for bio-inspired fibrillar surfaces, which shows that the optimized strong attachment and easy-removal properties can vary by over three orders of magnitude. The adhesion and peeling design map established provides new insights into the design and development of novel gecko-inspired fibrillar surfaces.     

本底真空度对磁控溅射Cr/C镀层微观形貌及结合强度的影响

采用闭合场非平衡磁控溅射离子镀技术于不同本底真空度下制备了Cr/C镀层。利用TEM、划痕仪分析了不同真空度下镀层微观截面形貌与结合强度的变化。结果表明,随本底真空度的降低,Cr/C镀层中物理混合界面层和Cr金属打底层的厚度显著减小;镀层结合强度随本底真空度的降低显著下降,物理混合界面层、Cr金属打底层厚度的减小以及镀层表面孔洞等缺陷增多、致密度变差等共同导致了其结合强度的下降。     

Effect of anodic oxidation of coal tar pitch-based carbon fibre on adhesion in epoxy matrix: Part 1. Comparison between H2SO4 and NaOH solutions

Anodic oxidation of high modulus coal tar pitch-based carbon fibre in alkaline and sulfuric solutions was investigated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis was used to evaluate the oxygen concentration (O_1S/C_1S) and surface functional groups (---OH, C=O and COOH). The interfacial shear strength between the epoxy matrix and carbon fibre was measured by a fragmentation test. The results showed that the oxygen concentration on fibre surfaces increased rapidly as electrical charge increased, in both alkaline and acidic solution. The best bonding between epoxy matrix and carbon fibre was achieved in alkaline solution. The Raman spectra of carbon fibre oxidized in alkaline and sulfuric solutions suggested that the weak adhesive strength between the epoxy resin and oxidized carbon fibre in sulfuric solution was due to the existence of an oxidized graphite layer, which might easily come off the surface.     

Self-assembled monolayers of semi-fluorinated thiols and disulfides with a potentially antibacterial terminal fragment on gold surfaces

Attempts to elaborate the best organized cationic self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) with sulfur derivatives containing potentially bactericidal quaternary ammonium salt moieties have been performed on gold with the final aim to obtain contact-active antibacterial surfaces. Four molecules bearing two hydrocarbon spacers with different lengths between the sulfur atom and the quaternized nitrogen atom, and two different terminal semi-fluorinated alkyl chains have been synthesised and used in view to evaluate their capacity for leading to the highest densities and the highest organization of potentially active molecules on the metal surface. The formation and quality of SAMs characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Internal Reflexion Infra Red Imaging, contact angle and blocking factor measurements depend on the lengths of both the hydrocarbon spacer and terminal perfluorinated chain.     

Analysis and optimization of clutch judder based on a hybrid uncertain model with random and interval variables

Clutch judder has serious impacts on the noise, vibration and harshness performance. In this article, a simplified dynamic model with nonlinear friction torque is developed to simulate clutch judder, and the stability and dynamic response of the clutch are analysed. The real part of the judder modal eigenvalue, the moment when the clutch enters the stick state and the fluctuation level of the driving part of the clutch are treated as the evaluation indices. An uncertain hybrid model with random and interval variables is used to describe the uncertainty of parameters and a hybrid perturbation vertex method is formulated to compute the uncertainty. Furthermore, parameters with high sensitivities are used as design variables and uncertainty-based optimization is conducted to reduce clutch judder. The optimization results strongly validate that the proposed method is very effective in improving the robustness of the clutch judder performance.     

Thickness effect on electrical properties of Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 thick films embedded with ZnO nanowhiskers prepared by a hybrid sol-gel route

Silicon-based lead zirconate titanate thick films embedded with zinc oxide nanowhiskers (ZnO_w-PZT) were prepared by a hybrid sol-gel route. ZnO_w-PZT films with thickness from 1.5 μm to 4 μm are perovskite structure and have smooth surface without any cracks. As the thickness increases, the remanent polarization and dielectric constant increase, but the coercive field and tetragonality decrease. Compared with PZT films, the ZnO_w-PZT film has the close tetragonality and electrical properties which are different from those of bulk PZT-based ceramic doped with ZnO powder. The thickness dependences of the ferroelectric and dielectric properties are attributed to the relaxation of internal stress.