Dry glue

Background

A gecko can hang on a glass surface using only one toe. This ability is attributed to van der Waals force, although a more recent study suggests that water molecules of roughly monolayer thickness (present on virtually all natural surfaces) also play a role.

Developments

In 2007, researchers from the University of Akron and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute announced they had developed a form of flexible, reusable gecko tape using carbon nanotubes to create microscopic synthetic setae and spatulae capable of supporting a shear stress of 32 N/cm2, which is four times the strength of a gecko's foot.{{Cite journal

In 2008 researchers from the University of Dayton reported a gecko glue capable of supporting 100N/cm2, ten times the strength generated by a gecko's foot. The research also used carbon nanotubes, but included a curled end which allowed stronger binding but easy removal.{{Cite journal

References

References

1. "Researchers discover how geckos know when to hold tight".
2. (2002). "Evidence for van der Waals adhesion in gecko setae". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA.
3. (2005). "Evidence for capillarity contributions to gecko adhesion from single spatula nanomechanical measurements". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA.
4. Goodman, M. "Z-man". [[DARPA]].
5. (2012-02-24). "Nitto Denko's "Gecko Tape" achieves precise, contamination-free analysis service in the -150- 500°C range". [[Nitto Denko]].