School of Physics Nonlinear Science & Mathematical Physics Seminar: Dr. Alyssa Stark, University of Akron

The gecko adhesive system is a dry, reversible adhesive that is virtually surface-insensitive due to the utilization of intermolecular van der Waals forces. Remarkably, although detailed models of the adhesive mechanism exist and hundreds of gecko-inspired synthetics have been fabricated, our ability to fully replicate the system still falls short. One reason for this is our limited understanding of how the system performs in natural environments. To begin to resolve this I focused on one particular environmental parameter, water. Although thin layers of water can disrupt van der Waals forces, I hypothesized that geckos are able to retain or regain adhesive function on wet surfaces. Surprisingly this hypothesis may not be unreasonable, as many species of gecko are native to the tropics, a climate where we expect surface water to be prevalent. Thus it is likely geckos have some mechanism to overcome the challenges associated with surface water and wetting. My research provides a detailed investigation of how water affects the gecko adhesive system and has applications for synthetic design of adhesives which retain or regain function in water and further motivates the study of this remarkable system in a more environmentally relevant context.