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Related Concept Videos

Adhesion01:14

Adhesion

Adhesion occurs when one type of molecule is attracted to a different molecule. Water exhibits adhesive properties in the presence of polar surfaces, such as glass or cellulose in plants. For instance, when water is poured into a glass, the positively charged hydrogen molecules of water are more attracted to the negatively charged oxygen molecules in the silica than to the oxygen in neighboring water molecules.
Capillary action is a result of water’s adhesive tendencies. When a narrow glass...
Capillarity in Fluid01:19

Capillarity in Fluid

Capillarity describes the movement of liquid in small spaces without external forces acting on it. The capillarity is driven by surface tension and adhesive interactions between the liquid and surrounding solid surfaces. This effect is often seen in narrow tubes, porous materials, and fine particles.
Surface tension is crucial to capillarity. It results from cohesive forces between liquid molecules at the liquid-air boundary, forming a skin that resists external forces. When the capillary tube...
Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity02:57

Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity

Surface Tension
The various IMFs between identical molecules of a substance are examples of cohesive forces. The molecules within a liquid are surrounded by other molecules and are attracted equally in all directions by the cohesive forces within the liquid. However, the molecules on the surface of a liquid are attracted only by about one-half as many molecules. Because of the unbalanced molecular attractions on the surface molecules, liquids contract to form a shape that minimizes the number...
Rise of Liquid in a Capillary Tube01:18

Rise of Liquid in a Capillary Tube

When very thin cylindrical tubes, called capillaries, are dipped in a liquid, the liquid rises or falls in the tube compared to the surrounding liquid. This phenomenon is called capillary action. Capillary action occurs due to the combination of two opposing forces: the cohesive forces of the liquid, which cause it to stick to itself and form a rounded shape, and the adhesive forces between the liquid and the walls of the container, which cause the liquid to be attracted to the container walls.
Surface Tension01:24

Surface Tension

Surface tension is defined as the force per unit length (γ) acting along the surface of a liquid. It arises due to strong intermolecular forces of attraction. A molecule located inside the bulk of the liquid is surrounded by other molecules and experiences equal forces in all directions. However, a molecule at the surface experiences unbalanced forces because there are more neighboring molecules below than above. This creates a net inward force that pulls surface molecules toward the interior,...
Cohesion01:07

Cohesion

Cohesion is the attraction between molecules of the same type, such as water molecules. Water molecules have an overall neutral charge but are polar molecule. An oxygen atom in one water molecule has a partial negative charge that can bind to a hydrogen atom with a partial positive charge in a second water molecule, forming a hydrogen bond. Each water molecule can form up to four hydrogen bonds with other water molecules. Hydrogen bonds are responsible for water's cohesive nature.
On a surface,...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Creating Adhesive and Soluble Gradients for Imaging Cell Migration with Fluorescence Microscopy
13:10

Creating Adhesive and Soluble Gradients for Imaging Cell Migration with Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: April 4, 2013

Capillarity-based switchable adhesion.

Michael J Vogel1, Paul H Steen

  • 1School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|February 6, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Inspired by beetles, scientists created a switchable adhesion device using liquid bridges. This electronic, low-voltage system offers rapid, energy-efficient gripping and releasing, mimicking natural adhesion.

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Area of Science:

  • Biomimetics and Materials Science
  • Surface Physics and Engineering

Background:

  • Nature-inspired designs offer novel solutions for adhesion challenges.
  • Capillarity-based adhesion relies on surface tension forces from liquid bridges.
  • Switchable adhesion requires rapid, electronically controlled attachment and release mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To engineer a switchable adhesion device inspired by leaf beetle locomotion.
  • To leverage capillarity and electroosmotic flow for controlled adhesion.
  • To investigate the scaling laws governing adhesion strength and controllability.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of a micro-scale device utilizing an array of liquid interfaces.
  • Application of low-voltage electrical pulses to induce electroosmotic flow.
  • Measurement of adhesion strength and switching dynamics under varying conditions.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated rapid (sub-second) switching between adhesion and release states.
  • Achieved minimal energy consumption due to stable equilibrium states.
  • Observed adhesion strength scaling inversely with liquid contact size, suggesting potential for high-strength bonding.
  • Maintained interface integrity across thousands of distinct liquid bridges during reconfiguration.

Conclusions:

  • The engineered device successfully mimics natural adhesion with electronic control.
  • Scalable design offers potential for adhesion strengths comparable to permanent adhesives.
  • The system presents a low-power, fast-acting, and robust solution for switchable adhesion applications.