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Preparation of Functional Silica Using a Bioinspired Method
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Bioinspired remora adhesive disc offers insight into evolution.

Kaelyn M Gamel1, Austin M Garner, Brooke E Flammang

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, United States of America. Department of Biology, University of Akron, Integrated Bioscience Program, Akron, OH 44325-3908, United States of America.

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Remora fish evolved enhanced shear adhesion through increased lamellar structures in their fins. A bioinspired model confirmed that more lamellae significantly improve attachment forces, especially on rough surfaces like shark skin.

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Area of Science:

  • Biomechanics
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Bioinspiration

Background:

  • Remoras (fishes) attach to hosts using a unique dorsal fin-evolved adhesive disc.
  • The evolutionary drivers of remora disc morphology remain unclear, as hosts predated remora evolution.
  • Fundamental physics of adhesion (suction, friction) are conserved, allowing for bioinspired modeling.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of lamellar number on shear adhesion in remora discs.
  • To utilize a bioinspired model to test evolutionary hypotheses of remora disc morphology.
  • To translate biological principles into engineering design rules for passive adhesion.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a bioinspired remora disc model to study shear adhesion.
  • Experimentally manipulated lamellar number to assess its effect on adhesive performance.
  • Compared model performance to measurements from live remoras on various surfaces.

Main Results:

  • Increased lamellar number in the model led to significantly enhanced shear adhesive performance.
  • The passive model achieved adhesive forces comparable to live remoras across environments.
  • The model's greatest pull-off forces were observed on shark skin-like roughness, exceeding live remora performance by 60%.

Conclusions:

  • The study supports the hypothesis that increased lamellar number is a key factor in enhanced shear adhesion in remoras.
  • Extant remora morphology suggests evolutionary selection for improved adhesive capabilities.
  • Bioinspired models effectively replicate and test biological adhesive mechanisms.