ORAL

SESSION: AdvancedMaterialsTuePM-R6	Marquis International Symposium on New and Advanced Materials and Technologies for Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development(3rd Intl Symp. on New and Advanced Materials and Technologies for Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development)
Tue Oct, 24 2017	Room: Condesa IA
Session Chairs: Zhenhai Xia; Takumi Chikada; Session Monitor: TBA

14:30: [AdvancedMaterialsTuePM05] Keynote
Bioinspired Micromanipulation Design based on Gecko Self-cleaning
Yiyang Wan¹ ; Zhenhai Xia¹ ; ¹University of North Texas, Denton, United States;
Paper Id: 214 [Abstract]

Geckos have the extraordinary ability to keep their sticky feet from fouling while running on dusty walls and ceilings. Understanding gecko adhesion and self-cleaning mechanisms is essential for elucidating animal behaviors and rationally designing gecko-inspired devices. We report a unique self-cleaning mechanism possessed by the nano-pads of gecko spatulae in both dry and wet conditions. This study has provided direct evidence that the unique shape of nanoscale spatula pads plays a crucial role in generating robust and stable adhesion while permitting efficient self-cleaning capabilities in dynamic regimes. Inspired by this natural design, we have fabricated micro/nano-pad-terminated artificial spatulae and micromanipulators that show similar effects, and that provide a new way to manipulate microparticles in dry and aqueous environments. By simply tuning the pull-off velocity, our gecko-inspired micromanipulators, made of synthetic microfibers with graphene-decorated micro-pads, can easily pick up, transport, and drop off microparticles for precise assembling. This work should open the door to the development of novel highly-efficient biomimetic self-cleaning adhesives, smart surfaces, MEMS, tunable micro/nano-manipulators, biomedical devices, and more.