Common
Mushroom heads in vacuum
Kiel Scientists are exploring biologically inspired adhesive structures
In the current online-issue of the renowned Royal Society Journal
Interface, Kiel scientists are comparing the adhesive force of
biologically inspired foils under atmospheric pressure and in vacuum.
The findings of this basic research might contribute to developing
innovative materials for aerospace engineering, medicine or marine
technology.
Whether they are climbing a window vertically or stick to the downside
of a leaf – humans can learn quite a lot from the animal world. The
prospective doctoral student Lars Heepe and Professor Stanislav Gorb,
both working at the Institute for Special Zoology at
Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, have been concentrating on the
means of movement and especially the adhesive features of male leaf
beetles. Gorb says: “From the scientific as well as the technological
point of view, the adhesive properties of animals provide an abundance
of ideas. For more than ten years, biologists, physicists, chemists and
engineers have been cooperating in the field of biological and
biologically inspired adhesion in order to examine the shape and
structure of animal extremities with outstanding adhesive
properties.” These morphologic analyses provide insight on
thousands to millions of small hairs that enable an intimate contact
with the subsurface. Due to these comparatively weak attractive forces
(called van-der-Waals force), the animals are –theoretically - able to
uphold up to a multiple of their own weight. Moisture can also help
provide grip even on slippery glass surfaces.
The mushroom head turned out to be particularly strongly adhesive.
Mushroom heads are found under the feet of leaf beetles for example.
The international team of researchers took those findings as an
opportunity to rebuild these structures synthetically and conduct
further research on the adhesive mechanisms involved. It became
apparent that the mushroom head structures can display a suction force
under certain circumstances, yet it makes up a maximum of ten percent
of the entire adhesive force.
Link to the Royal Society Journal Interface:
http://rsif.royalsocietypublishing.org
Contact Information:
Prof. Stanislav N. Gorb
Phone: +49 (0)431 880-4513
E-Mail: sgorb@zoologie.uni-kiel.de
Lars Heepe
Phone: +49 (0)431 880-4504
E-Mail: lheepe@zoologie.uni-kiel.de
Quelle: Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
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