Magnetically Tunable Adhesion of Magnetoactive Elastomers' Surface Covered with Two-Level Newt-Inspired...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Robotics
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Controllable bionic adhesive materials are emerging intelligent materials with significant potential.
• Applications include wearable electronics, climbing robots, and biomedical devices.
• Newt foot microstructure serves as inspiration for advanced adhesive surfaces.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report a novel bionic adhesive surface material with controllable adhesion.
• To investigate adhesion on dry, wet acrylic, and iron sheet surfaces.
• To evaluate the influence of magnetic fields on adhesion performance.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication involved mixing a PDMS matrix with carbonyl iron powders (CIPs).
• A two-level microstructure array mold created using photocurable 3D printing was used for curing.
• Adhesion forces were tested on different surfaces with and without magnetic fields.

Main Results:

• The bionic adhesive material with two-level microstructures (2L-MAE) demonstrated superior initial adhesion.
• Adhesion performance was significantly influenced by the presence and strength of a magnetic field.
• Adhesion generally increased with the external magnetic field, except on iron sheet surfaces where it decreased.

Conclusions:

• The developed 2L-MAE exhibits enhanced adhesion capabilities inspired by natural structures.
• Magnetic field control offers a method to modulate the adhesive properties of the material.
• This controllable adhesion has implications for advanced applications in robotics and electronics.