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性和动力学，并将这一理解带到分层类似物的设计和制造中。跨学科团队计划在未来四年实现三个主要目标：1)改进了对描述“摩擦粘合”的模型的基本理解和开发；2)开发了天然和人造粘合系统的粘合度量和测试标准；以及3.设计和制造生物灵感铰接式可逆粘合剂，集成纳米、微米和宏观组件，用于粘合和微型机器人应用。通过三个具有凝聚力的目标来解决该系统，该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、可重复使用的粘合剂在许多领域都有应用，包括医疗保健、机器人和制造。粘附力科学的一般领域可以成功地用来激励和激励多个层次的学生。计划建立一个网站和实验，不仅将研究这一问题的科学界聚集在一起，还将激发各级学生的兴趣，展示粘附力科学的基础知识。这些实验可以在网上查看，也可以在课堂上使用(即材料便宜且容易获得)。此外，我们建议设立纳米艺术展，将纳米技术领域带给公众。最后，我们计划让学生(研究生和本科生)在三所合作机构之间旅行，作为实习/交流计划的一部分。这将使学生有宝贵的机会获得所有五名研究人员的专业知识，以及访问设施和研究的部分，否则他们将不会接触到。

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.