The shape of Nature's stingers revealed.

Stinger-like structures in living organisms evolved convergently across taxa for both defensive and offensive purposes, with the main goal being penetration and damage. Our observations over a broad range of taxa and sizes, from microscopic radiolarians to narwhals, reveal a self-similar geometry of the stinger extremity: the diameter (d) increases along the distance from the tip (x) following a power law [Formula: see text] , with the tapering exponent varying universally between 2 and 3. We demonstrate, through analytical and experimental mechanics involving three-dimensional (3D) printing, that this geometry optimizes the stinger's performance; it represents a trade-off between the propensity to buckle, for n smaller than 2, and increased penetration force, for n greater than 3. Moreover, we find that this optimal tapering exponent does not depend on stinger size and aspect ratio (base diameter over length). We conclude that for Nature's stingers, composed of biological materials with moduli ranging from hundreds of megapascals to ten gigapascals, the necessity for a power-law contour increases with sharpness to ensure sufficient stability for penetration of skin-like tissues. Our results offer a solution to the puzzle underlying this universal geometric trait of biological stingers and may provide a new strategy to design needle-like structures for engineering or medical applications.

Temperature-Induced Switchable Adhesion using Nickel-Titanium-Polydimethylsiloxane Hybrid Surfaces.

A switchable dry adhesive based on a nickel-titanium (NiTi) shape-memory alloy with an adhesive silicone rubber surface has been developed. Although several studies investigate micropatterned, bioinspired adhesive surfaces, very few focus on reversible adhesion. The system here is based on the indentation-induced two-way shape-memory effect in NiTi alloys. NiTi is trained by mechanical deformation through indentation and grinding to elicit a temperature-induced switchable topography with protrusions at high temperature and a flat surface at low temperature. The trained surfaces are coated with either a smooth or a patterned adhesive polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer, resulting in a temperature-induced switchable surface, used for dry adhesion. Adhesion tests show that the temperature-induced topographical change of the NiTi influences the adhesive performance of the hybrid system. For samples with a smooth PDMS layer the transition from flat to structured state reduces adhesion by 56%, and for samples with a micropatterned PDMS layer adhesion is switchable by nearly 100%. Both hybrid systems reveal strong reversibility related to the NiTi martensitic phase transformation, allowing repeated switching between an adhesive and a nonadhesive state. These effects have been discussed in terms of reversible changes in contact area and varying tilt angles of the pillars with respect to the substrate surface.

The whole is more than the sum of all its parts: collective effect of spider attachment organs.

Dynamic attachment is the key to moving safely and fast in a three-dimensional environment. Among lizards, hexapods and arachnids, several lineages have evolved hairy foot pads that can generate strong friction and adhesion on both smooth and rough surfaces. A strongly expressed directionality of attachment structures results in an anisotropy of frictional properties, which might be crucial for attachment control. In a natural situation, more than one leg is usually in contact with the substrate. In order to understand the collective effect of hairy foot pads in the hunting spider Cupiennius salei (Arachnida, Ctenidae), we performed vertical pulling experiments combined with stepwise disabling of the pads. We found the attachment force of the spider to be not simply the sum of single leg forces because with leg pair deactivation a much greater decrease in attachment forces was found than was predicted by just the loss of available adhesive pad area. This indicates that overall adhesion ability of the spider is strongly dependent on the antagonistic work of opposing legs, and the apparent contact area plays only a minor role. It is concluded that the coordinated action of the legs is crucial for adhesion control and for fast and easy detachment. The cumulative effect of anisotropic fibrillar adhesive structures could be potentially interesting for biomimetic applications, such as novel gripping devices.

Detachment behavior of mushroom-shaped fibrillar adhesive surfaces in peel testing.

Synthetic dry adhesive surfaces with mushroom-shaped pillars have been the subject of recent research investigation. This study is the first to systematically investigate the effect of peel angle, pillar diameter, and pillar aspect ratio on the force required for peeling. Explicit emphasis was placed on relatively large pillar structures to allow for in situ optical visualization in order to gain insights into fundamental mechanisms which dictate peeling. Traditional molding techniques were used to fabricate optical-scale mushroom terminated structures with pillar diameters of 1 mm and 400 µm and aspect ratios of 1, 3, and 5. Results were quantitatively compared to peel testing theory for conventional adhesives. It was convincingly demonstrated that the critical decohesion energy of a patterned surface changes as a function of angle and cannot be treated as a constant. Variability in the critical decohesion energy was linked to mechanistic differences in detachment through in situ observations and finite element analysis (FEA). Experimental results showed that smaller pillars do not necessarily lead to higher adhesion during peeling, and contact mechanics combined with optical observations were used to explain this phenomenon. Finally, unlike results from normal adhesion studies, aspect ratio was shown to play little role in peeling adhesive behavior due to the mechanics of peel testing. The results and conclusions from this study uncover the detachment mechanisms of mushroom-shape tipped dry adhesives under peel loading and serve as an outline for the design of these surfaces in peeling applications.

Cataglyphis desert ants improve their mobility by raising the gaster.

We analyze theoretically the moment of inertia of the desert ant Cataglyphis (C. bicolor and C. fortis) around a vertical axis through its own center of mass when the animal raises its gaster to a vertical position. Compared to the value when the gaster is horizontal, the moment of inertia is reduced to one half; this implies that when increasing its angular acceleration the ant need apply only half the level of torque when the gaster is raised, compared to when the gaster is lowered. As an example, we analyze the cases of an ant running on circular and sinusoidal paths. In both cases, the ant must apply a sideways thrust, anti-roll and anti-pitch torques to avoid toppling, and, on the circular path when accelerating and throughout the sinusoidal trajectory, a torque to enable turning as the path curves. When the ant is accelerating in a very tight circle or running on a very narrow sinusoidal path, in which the amplitude of the sinusoid is less than the length of the ant's body, the forces required for the turning torque can equal and exceed those required for the sideways thrust, and can be reduced significantly by the ant raising the gaster, whereas the foot-thrust for the anti-roll and anti-pitch torques rises only modestly when the gaster is up. This suggests that there may be an evolutionary advantage for employing the gaster-raising mode of locomotion, since this habit will allow desert ants to use lower forces and less energy, and perhaps run faster on more tortuous paths.

Attachment of bioinspired microfibrils in fluids: transition from a hydrodynamic to hydrostatic mechanism.

Reversible and switchable adhesion of elastomeric microstructures has attracted significant interest in the development of grippers for object manipulation. Their applications, however, have often been limited to dry conditions and adhesion of such deformable microfibrils in the fluid environment is less understood. In the present study, we performed adhesion tests in silicone oil using single cylindrical microfibrils of a flat-punch shape with a radius of 80 µm. Stiff fibrils were created using three-dimensional printing of an elastomeric resin with an elastic modulus of 500 MPa, and soft fibrils, with a modulus of 3.3 MPa, were moulded in polyurethane. Our results suggest that adhesion is dominated by hydrodynamic forces, which can be maximized by stiff materials and high retraction velocities, in line with theoretical predictions. The maximum pull-off stress of stiff cylindrical fibrils is 0.6 MPa, limited by cavitation and viscous fingering, occurring at retraction velocities greater than 2 µm s-1. Next, we add a mushroom cap to the microfibrils, which, in the case of the softer material, deforms upon retraction and leads to a transition to a hydrostatic suction regime with higher pull-off stresses ranging from 0.7 to 0.9 MPa. The effects of elastic modulus, fibril size and viscosity for underwater applications are illustrated in a mechanism map to provide guidance for design optimization.

Film-Terminated Fibrillar Microstructures with Improved Adhesion on Skin-like Surfaces.

Adhesives for interaction with human skin and tissues are needed for multiple applications. Micropatterned dry adhesives are potential candidates, allowing for a conformal contact and glue-free adhesion based on van der Waals interactions. In this study, we investigate the superior adhesion of film-terminated fibrillar microstructures (fibril diameter, 60 µm; aspect ratio, 3) in contact with surfaces of skin-like roughness (Rz 50 µm). Adhesion decays only moderately with increasing roughness, in contrast to unstructured samples. Sinusoidal model surfaces adhere when their wavelengths exceed about four fibril diameters. The film-terminated microstructure exhibits a saturation of the compressive force during application, implying a pressure safety regime protecting delicate counter surfaces. Applications of this novel adhesive concept are foreseen in the fields of wearable electronics and wound dressing.

Water as a "glue": Elasticity-enhanced wet attachment of biomimetic microcup structures.

Octopus, clingfish, and larva use soft cups to attach to surfaces under water. Recently, various bioinspired cups have been engineered. However, the mechanisms of their attachment and detachment remain elusive. Using a novel microcup, fabricated by two-photon lithography, coupled with in situ pressure sensor and observation cameras, we reveal the detailed nature of its attachment/detachment under water. It involves elasticity-enhanced hydrodynamics generating "self-sealing" and high suction at the cup-substrate interface, converting water into "glue." Detachment is mediated by seal breaking. Three distinct mechanisms of breaking are identified, including elastic buckling of the cup rim. A mathematical model describes the interplay between the attachment/detachment process, geometry, elasto-hydrodynamics, and cup retraction speed. If the speed is too slow, then the octopus cannot attach; if the tide is too gentle for the larva, then water cannot serve as a glue. The concept of "water glue" can innovate underwater transport and manufacturing strategies.

A bioinspired snap-through metastructure for manipulating micro-objects.

Micro-objects stick tenaciously to each other-a well-known show-stopper in microtechnology and in handling micro-objects. Inspired by the trigger plant, we explore a mechanical metastructure for overcoming adhesion involving a snap-action mechanism. We analyze the nonlinear mechanical response of curved beam architectures clamped by a tunable spring, incorporating mono- and bistable states. As a result, reversible miniaturized snap-through devices are successfully realized by micron-scale direct printing, and successful pick-and-place handling of a micro-object is demonstrated. The technique is applicable to universal scenarios, including dry and wet environment, or smooth and rough counter surfaces. With an unprecedented switching ratio (between high and low adhesion) exceeding 104, this concept proposes an efficient paradigm for handling and placing superlight objects.

Effect of viscoelasticity on adhesion of bioinspired micropatterned epoxy surfaces.

The effect of viscoelasticity on adhesion was investigated for micropatterned epoxy surfaces and compared to nonpatterned surfaces. A two-component epoxy system was used to produce epoxy compositions with different viscoelastic properties. Pillar arrays with flat punch tip geometries were fabricated with a two-step soft lithography process. Adhesion properties were measured with a home-built adhesion tester using a spherical sapphire probe as a counter-surface. Compared to flat controls, micropatterned epoxy samples with low viscoelasticity (i.e., low damping factors) showed at least a 20-fold reduction in pull-off force per actual contact area for both low (E' = 2.3 MPa) and high (E' = 2.3 GPa) storage moduli. This antiadhesive behavior may result from poor contact formation and indicates that the adhesion performance of commonly used elastomers for dry adhesives (e.g., polydimethylsiloxane) is governed by the interfacial viscoelasticity. Adhesion significantly increased with increasing viscoelasticity. Micropatterned samples with high viscoelasticity showed a 4-fold reduction in adhesion for aspect ratio (AR) 1.1 patterns but a 2-fold enhancement in adhesion for AR 2.2 patterns. These results indicate that viscoelasticity can enhance the effect of surface patterning on adhesion and should be considered as a significant parameter in the design of artificial patterned adhesives.

Optoacoustically induced auditory brainstem responses in the mouse model enhanced through an absorbing film.

SIGNIFICANCE: Optoacoustic stimulation offers an alternative stimulation strategy for the hearing organ. To serve as the base for a novel auditory prosthesis, the optoacoustic stimulation must be biocompatible and energy-saving. AIM: Enhancing the efficiency of optoacoustic stimulation while reducing the energy input in a suited animal model. APPROACH: Optoacoustically induced auditory brainstem responses (oABRs) were recorded after the pulsed laser irradiation of the tympanic membrane (TM) in mice. The results were compared with the ABRs induced through acoustic click stimulation. In addition, self-adhesive absorbing films were applied on the TM before the optoacoustic stimulation to investigate their effect on the resulting ABRs. RESULTS: Using an absorbing film on the TM during optical stimulation led to considerably enhanced oABR wave I amplitude values compared with the stimulation of the bare TM. When using our stimulation strategy, we induced oABR waves in the 50% to 60% range of the acoustical stimulation reached with 80-dB SPL click stimuli. CONCLUSIONS: The mouse model can be used for certain developmental work for an optoacoustic auditory prosthesis. Using absorbing films on the TM during optical stimulation considerably enhances oABR wave I amplitude. Optimization of the stimulation strategy could further enhance the efficiency within biocompatibility margins.

Enhancing Dry Adhesion of Polymeric Micropatterns by Electric Fields.

Micropatterned dry adhesives rely mainly on van der Waals interactions. In this paper, we explore the adhesion strength increase that can be achieved by superimposing an electrostatic field through interdigitated subsurface electrodes. Micropatterns were produced by replica molding in silicone. The adhesion forces were characterized systematically by means of experiments and numerical modeling. The force increased with the square of the applied voltage for electric fields up to 800 V. For larger fields, a less-than-quadratic scaling was observed, which is likely due to the small, field-dependent electrical conductivity of the materials involved. The additional adhesion force was found to be up to twice of the field-free adhesion. The results suggest an alternative method for the controlled handling of fragile or miniaturized objects.

Strong Wet and Dry Adhesion by Cupped Microstructures.

Recent advances in bio-inspired microfibrillar adhesives have resulted in technologies that allow reliable attachment to a variety of surfaces. Because capillary and van der Waals forces are considerably weakened underwater, fibrillar adhesives are however far less effective in wet environments. Although various strategies have been proposed to achieve strong reversible underwater adhesion, strong adhesives that work both in air and underwater without additional surface treatments have yet to be developed. In this study, we report a novel design-cupped microstructures (CM)-that generates strong controllable adhesion in air and underwater. We measured the adhesive performance of cupped polyurethane microstructures with three different cup angles (15, 30, and 45°) and the same cup diameter of 100 µm in dry and wet conditions in comparison to standard mushroom-shaped microstructures (MSMs) of the same dimensions. In air, 15°CM performed comparably to the flat MSM of the same size with an adhesion strength (force per real contact area) of up to 1.3 MPa, but underwater, 15°CM achieved 20 times stronger adhesion than MSM (∼1 MPa versus ∼0.05 MPa). Furthermore, the cupped microstructures exhibit self-sealing properties, whereby stronger pulls lead to longer stable attachment and much higher adhesion through the formation of a better seal.

Statistical properties of defect-dependent detachment strength in bioinspired dry adhesives.

Dry adhesives using surface microstructures inspired by climbing animals have been recognized for their potentially novel capabilities, with relevance to a range of applications including pick-and-place handling. Past work has suggested that performance may be strongly dependent on variability in the critical defect size among fibrillar sub-contacts. However, it has not been directly verified that the resulting adhesive strength distribution is well described by the statistical theory of fracture used. Using in situ contact visualization, we characterize adhesive strength on a fibril-by-fibril basis for a synthetic fibrillar adhesive. Two distinct detachment mechanisms are observed. The fundamental, design-dependent mechanism involves defect propagation from within the contact. The secondary mechanism involves defect propagation from fabrication imperfections at the perimeter. The existence of two defect populations complicates characterization of the statistical properties. This is addressed by using the mean order ranking method to isolate the fundamental mechanism. The statistical properties obtained are subsequently used within a bimodal framework, allowing description of the secondary mechanism. Implications for performance are discussed, including the improvement of strength associated with elimination of fabrication imperfections. This statistical analysis of defect-dependent detachment represents a more complete approach to the characterization of fibrillar adhesives, offering new insight for design and fabrication.

A Self-Adhesive Elastomeric Wound Scaffold for Sensitive Adhesion to Tissue.

Pressure sensitive adhesives based on silicone materials are used particularly for skin adhesion, e.g., the fixation of electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes or wound dressings. However, adhesion to sensitive tissue structures is not sufficiently addressed due to the risk of damage or rupture. We propose an approach in which a poly-(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-based soft skin adhesive (SSA) acts as cellular scaffold for wound healing. Due to the intrinsically low surface free energy of silicone elastomers, functionalization strategies are needed to promote the attachment and spreading of eukaryotic cells. In the present work, the effect of physical adsorption of three different proteins on the adhesive properties of the soft skin adhesive was investigated. Fibronectin adsorption slightly affects adhesion but significantly improves the cellular interaction of L929 murine fibroblasts with the polymeric surface. Composite films were successfully attached to explanted tympanic membranes. This demonstrates the potential of protein functionalized SSA to act as an adhesive scaffold in delicate biomedical applications.

Adhesion and relaxation of a soft elastomer on surfaces with skin like roughness.

For designing new skin adhesives, the complex mechanical interaction of soft elastomers with surfaces of various roughnesses needs to be better understood. We systematically studied the effects of a wide set of roughness characteristics, film thickness, hold time and material relaxation on the adhesive behaviour of the silicone elastomer SSA 7-9800 (Dow Corning). As model surfaces, we used epoxy replicas obtained from substrates with roughness ranging from very smooth to skin-like. Our results demonstrate that films of thin and intermediate thickness (60 and 160 µm) adhered best to a sub-micron rough surface, with a pull-off stress of about 50 kPa. Significant variations in pull-off stress and detachment mechanism with roughness and hold time were found. In contrast, 320 µm thick films adhered with lower pull-off stress of about 17 kPa, but were less sensitive to roughness and hold time. It is demonstrated that the adhesion performance of the silicone films to rough surfaces can be tuned by tailoring the film thickness and contact time.

Roll-to-Roll Manufacturing of Micropatterned Adhesives by Template Compression.

For the next generation of handling systems, reversible adhesion enabled by micropatterned dry adhesives exhibits high potential. The versatility of polymeric micropatterns in handling objects made from various materials has been demonstrated by several groups. However, specimens reported in most studies have been restricted to the laboratory scale. Upscaling the size and quantity of micropatterned adhesives is the next step to enable successful technology transfer. Towards this aim, we introduce a continuous roll-to-roll replication process for fabrication of high-performance, mushroom-shaped micropatterned dry adhesives. The micropatterns were made from UV-curable polyurethane acrylates. To ensure the integrity of the complex structure during the fabrication process, flexible templates were used. The compression between the template and the wet prepolymer coating was investigated to optimize replication results without structural failures, and hence, to improve adhesion. As a result, we obtained micropatterned adhesive tapes, 10 cm in width and several meters in length, with adhesion strength about 250 kPa to glass, suitable for a wide range of applications.

Thin Film Composite Silicon Elastomers for Cell Culture and Skin Applications: Manufacturing and Characterization.

In this protocol, we present methods to fabricate thin elastomer composite films for advanced cell culture applications and for the development of skin adhesives. Two different poly-(dimethyl siloxanes) (PDMS and soft skin adhesive (SSA)), have been used for in depth investigation of biological effects and adhesive characteristics. The composite films consist of a flexible backing layer and an adhesive top coating. Both layers have been manufactured by doctor blade application technique. In the present investigation, the adhesive behavior of the composite films has been investigated as a function of the layer thickness or a variation of the Young's modulus of the top layer. The Young's modulus of PDMS has been changed by varying the base to crosslinker mixing ratio. In addition, the thickness of SSA films has been varied from approx. 16 µm to approx. 320 µm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy have been used for thickness measurements. The adhesive properties of elastomer films depend strongly on the film thickness, the Young's modulus of the polymers and surface characteristics. Therefore, normal adhesion of these films on glass substrates exhibiting smooth and rough surfaces has been investigated. Pull-off stress and work of separation are dependent on the mixing ratio of silicone elastomers. Additionally, the thickness of the soft skin adhesive placed on top of a supportive backing layer has been varied in order to produce patches for skin applications. Cytotoxicity, proliferation and cellular adhesion of L929 murine fibroblasts on PDMS films (mixing ratio 10:1) and SSA films (mixing ratio 50:50) have been conducted. We have shown here, for the first time, the side by side comparison of thin composite films manufactured of both polymers and present the investigation of their biological- and adhesive properties.

Biomimetic models of the actin cytoskeleton.

The cytoskeleton is a complex polymer network that plays an essential role in the functionality of eukaryotic cells. It endows cells with mechanical stability, adaptability, and motility. To identify and understand the mechanisms underlying this large variety of capabilities and to possibly transfer them to engineered networks makes it necessary to have in vitro and in silico model systems of the cytoskeleton. These models must be realistic representatives of the cellular network and at the same time be controllable and reproducible. Here, an approach to design complementary experimental and numerical model systems of the actin cytoskeleton is presented and some of their properties discussed.

Influence of surface roughness on gecko adhesion.

In this study we show the influence of surface roughness on gecko adhesion on both the nano- and macroscales. We present experimental data for the force necessary to pull off single spatulae from hard rough substrates and also detail observations on living geckos clinging to various surfaces. Both experiments consistently show that the effective adhesion shows a minimum for a root mean square roughness ranging from 100 to 300nm.