NIRT: Reversible Frictional Adhesion of Natural and Bio-Inspired Multi-Scale Structures

该团队计划更好地了解壁虎的粘附力和动力学，并将这种理解延续到分层类似物的设计和制造中。这个跨学科团队计划在未来四年实现三个主要目标：改进了对描述“摩擦粘附”模型的基本理解和发展；2)制定了天然和人工粘附系统的粘附指标和测试标准；仿生关节可逆黏合剂的设计和制造，集成了纳米，微观和宏观尺度的黏合剂和微型机器人应用。通过三个内聚的目标来处理系统，团队希望在理解和模仿这个独特而有用的系统方面取得重大进展。可逆的、可重复使用的粘合剂在许多领域都有应用，包括健康和医药、机器人和制造业。粘合科学的一般领域是一个可以成功地利用来激发和激励学生的许多水平。计划建立一个网站和实验，不仅将科学界聚集在一起研究这个问题，而且还可以激发各级学生的兴趣，展示粘附科学的基础知识。这些实验可以在网上观看或在课堂上使用（即材料便宜且容易获得）。此外，我们建议举办纳米艺术展览，将纳米技术的领域带给公众。最后，我们计划让学生（研究生和本科生）作为实习/交换项目的一部分在三个合作机构之间旅行。这将使学生有机会接触到五位研究人员的专业知识，并接触到他们原本无法接触到的设施和研究部分。

This team plans to better understand the gecko adhesion and dynamics, and to carry over this understanding into the design and fabrication of hierarchical analogues. There are three main goals the interdisciplinary team plans to achieve over the next four years: 1.) Improved fundamental understanding and development of models describing 'frictional adhesion', 2) Development of adhesion metrics and test standards for natural and artificial adhesive systems, and 3.) Design and fabrication of bioinspired articulated reversible adhesives integrating nano-, micro- and macro-scale components for adhesion and micro-robotic applications. By addressing the system through three cohesive goals, the team hopes to make significant gains into understanding and mimicking this unique and useful system.Reversible, reusable adhesives have applications in many areas including health and medicine, robotics and manufacturing. The general area of adhesion science is one that can be successfully utilized to excite and motivate students of many levels. A website and experiments are planned to not only bring together the scientific community studying this problem, but also to excite students of all levels, which demonstrate the basics of adhesion science. These experiments could be viewed on the web or used in classroom situations (i.e. materials are inexpensive and readily available). In addition, we propose the creation of a nano-art show to bring the realm of nanotechnology to the public. Finally, we plan to have students (graduate and undergraduate) travel between the three collaborative institutions as part of internship/exchange programs. This will give students invaluable access to expertise of all five investigators, as well as access to facilities and portions of the research to which they would otherwise not be exposed.