Biomimetic design of elastomer surface pattern for friction control under wet conditions

In this paper, an observation on the toe pad of a newt was carried out. It was found that the pad surface is covered with an array of polygonal cells separated by channels, similar to those of a tree frog's pad. With this micro-structure, a newt can move on wet and smooth surfaces without slipping. Inspired by the surface structure of newt toe pads, elastic micro-patterned surfaces were fabricated to understand the function of such micro-structures in friction systems. The tribological performance of the patterned surfaces was evaluated using a tribometer. Different tribological performances between micro-dimple and -pillar patterned surfaces were observed. The area density (r) of the micro-pattern is crucial for controlling the friction of the elastic surface. Distinguished from unpatterned and micro-dimple patterned surfaces, the pillar patterned surface with high area density can remain high friction at high sliding speed. It could be one of the reasons of such polygonal structures on newt's toe pads.