Millimeter size patch behavior of gecko-inspired reversible adhesive

A synthetic adhesive inspired by the gecko should replicate the important properties found on the animal, but does not need to be a direct copy of its system. This paper describes the fabrication and testing of micron-sized vertical and tilted rectangular flaps composed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) that successfully mimic key characteristics found on the creature. Rectangular flaps have been chosen in order to create large areas of contact on the face of the structures after shearing, similar to the animal's terminal structures. Additionally, an angle has been implemented to generate anisotropy in the system and offer comparisons with the vertical counterparts. The performance of the structures is characterized by measuring adhesion, shear, and shear adhesion forces with flat on flat testing geometry over an area of roughly 12 mm
²
using a high precision home-built testing apparatus.