Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Schubert B
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2607470 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Schubert Bryan B Lee Jongho J Majidi Carmel C Fearing Ronald S RS
Journal of the Royal Society, Interface 20080801 25
The adhesive pads of geckos provide control of normal adhesive force by controlling the applied shear force. This frictional adhesion effect is one of the key principles used for rapid detachment in animals running up vertical surfaces. We developed polypropylene microfibre arrays composed of vertical, 0.3 microm radius fibres with elastic modulus of 1 GPa which show this effect for the first time using a stiff polymer. In the absence of shear forces, these fibres show minimal normal adhesion. H ...[more]