bioinspired designs

Film-substrate systems are prevalent in various industries, and manipulation of their adhesion strength is essential to guarantee their desired functionalities. Inspired by the heterogeneous characteristic of geckos’ spatulae, heterogeneous adhesion devices are proposed for enhanced directional adhesion, but experimental measurements of their adhesion strength are significantly lower than the theoretical predictions. This discrepancy is likely due to the cohesive zone, a factor that was usually overlooked in previous theoretical models.

Interface plays a critical role in the mechanical performance of composites. Lack of a suitable interface design has long been a bottleneck impeding the full exploitation of the mechanical strengths of many superior reinforcement phases such as the high-performance carbon fibers and carbon nanotubes.

Nacre is well known for its high strength and toughness owing to its ingenious “brick-and-mortar” microstructure. However, its impact resistance has not been studied as well as its static properties, even though protecting fragile organs from external dynamic loadings is one of its most important functions.