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

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）二期项目旨在开发一个中试规模的生产系统和工艺，以实现具有复杂几何形状的弹性微/纳米级纤维连续阵列的大规模制造。灵感来自于壁虎脚上自然发生的毛发，这些微/纳米级弹性体纤维在广泛的测试基材上表现出强大的粘合，剪切和剥离强度。与其他类型的粘合剂（如压敏胶带）不同，这些受生物启发的粘合剂可以在数千个测试周期中重复使用，在材料使用寿命期间几乎没有污染和性能下降。然而，这类材料只能通过昂贵的微/纳米制造工艺来制造，包括光刻、化学蚀刻或耗时的批量微/纳米成型工艺。在本项目中，将构建、优化和评估一个中试规模的制造系统。利用弹性体材料，开发了一种用于高速、连续和大面积制造高纵横比和三维微/纳米尺度纤维的辊式成型和剥离工艺。该项目的更广泛/商业影响将是提供一种低成本、大批量的工艺，以大规模生产具有复杂几何形状的弹性微/纳米级纤维连续阵列，用于服装、运动器材、医疗保健、国防、工业夹具和消费品。这些纤维将提供强大的可逆粘合剂或增强的剪切界面，这些界面具有抗污染能力，并在产品使用寿命期间保持其粘合能力。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to develop a pilot-scale production system and process to enable the large-scale fabrication of continuous arrays of elastomeric micro/nano-scale fibers with complex geometry. Inspired by hairs that occur naturally on gecko feet, these micro/nano-scale elastomeric fibers demonstrate strong adhesive, shear, and peel strengths over a wide range of test substrates. Unlike other classes of adhesives such as pressure-sensitive tapes, these biologically-inspired adhesives can be repeatedly used over thousands of test cycles with very little contamination and performance degradation over the material lifespan. However, this class of material has only been able to be fabricated through expensive micro/nano fabrication processes including photolithography, chemical etching, or time-consuming batch micro/nano molding processes. In this project, a pilot-scale manufacturing system will be constructed, optimized and evaluated. A roller-based molding and peeling process for high-speed, continuous, and large-area manufacturing of high aspect-ratio and three-dimensional micro/nano-scale fibers with a compliant backing layer will be developed using elastomer materials. The broader/commercial impacts of this project will be the potential to provide a low-cost, high-volume process to mass produce continuous arrays of elastomeric micro/nano-scale fibers with complex geometry for applications in apparel, sporting equipment, healthcare, defense, industrial clamping, and consumer goods. These fibers will provide strong reversible adhesive or enhanced shear interfaces that are resistant to contamination and maintain their adhesive ability over the product lifespan.