title: Microfluidic adhesion induced by subsurface microstructures.
abstract: Natural adhesives in the feet of different arthropods and vertebrates show strong adhesion as well as excellent reusability. Whereas the hierarchical structures on the surface are known to have a substantial effect on adhesion, the role of subsurface structures such as the network of microchannels has not been studied. Inspired by these bioadhesives, we generated elastomeric layers with embedded air- or oil-filled microchannels. These adhesives showed remarkable enhancement of adhesion ( approximately 30 times), which results from the crack-arresting properties of the microchannels, together with the surface stresses caused by the capillary force. The importance of the thickness of the adhesive layer, channel diameter, interchannel spacing, and vertical position within the adhesive has been examined for developing an optimal design of this microfluidic adhesive.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Department of Science and Technology Unit on Nanoscience, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur 208016, India.
authors.forename: Abhijit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Majumder
authors.forename: Animangsu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghatak
authors.forename: Ashutosh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sharma
mesh_terms: D000268:Adhesiveness; D000269:Adhesives; D000818:Animals; D040761:Biomimetic Materials; D020724:Elastomers; D044085:Microfluidics; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D000269:Adhesives; D020724:Elastomers