Assembly - November 2008 - (Page 12) Assembly Lines New facilities Mergers orecasts Inventions Researchers have developed a new dry adhesive material that uses thousands of carbon nanotubes to mimic the adhesive properties of a gecko’s toes. Photo courtesy the Georgia Institute of Technology Nanotubes Mimic Geckos’ Feet • Industry Leading 96,000 Hours MTBF • Payload Capacity up to 1,200 lbs. • Reach up to 3,733 mm (over 12 feet) • Interfaces Easily to All Equipment ATLANTA—Researchers from the University of Dayton, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Air Force Research Laboratory and the University of Akron have developed a new carbon nanotubebased adhesive material that employs the same directionally varied, or anisotropic, forces used by gravity-defying geckos. Geckos owe their climbing ability to thousands of fine, elastic hairs in their toes, which take advantage of atomic-level van der Waals forces to ensure a secure grip. According Georgia Tech’s science and engineering profession Zhong Lin Wang, the new material mimics this ability by arranging thousand of carbon nanotubes in arrays of “curly entangled tops” that become aligned with whatever surface they are pressed against, maximizing resistance to shear forces. The material is then easily removed by pulling directly away from the surface in the “normal” direction. In other words, a pair of gloves made of the material will stick to a wall, but not the ceiling. In tests on a variety of surfaces, including glass and Teflon, researchers measured adhesive forces of up to 100 Newtons per square centimeter in the shear direction and 10 Newtons per square centimeter in the normal direction—about the same as a gecko. Researchers say that in addition to enabling would-be super heroes to walk on walls, the material could be used in a number of more prosaic technological applications, like connecting electronic devices and substituting for conventional adhesives in the dry vacuum of space. For additional information, visit www.gatech.edu/newsroom. 12 ASSEMBLY / November 2008 www.assemblymag.com http://kri-us.com http://www.gatech.edu/newsroom http://www.assemblymag.com
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