SBIR Phase I: Manufacturing of Bio-Inspired Polymer Micro/Nano-Fiber Arrays as New Gripping Materials

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This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop a high-volume and low-cost nanomanufacturing process of biologically inspired repeatable polymer fibrillar adhesives as new gripping materials for commercial applications. A manufacturing process for high-speed, continuous, and large-area manufacturing of high aspect ratio and three-dimensional polymer micro/nanofiber arrays with a compliant backing layer will be studied. The broader/commercial impact of this project will be the potential to provide repeatable fibrillar adhesives with large volume and high uniformity for applications in sports, defense, space, robotics, and other industries. The processes and methods to be developed in this study would also improve the understanding in the nanomanufacturing of high aspect ratio polymer structures with three-dimensional features.