Engineering News
Nanofiber carpet could mimic gecko feet, polar bear fur
Date : 31-Jan-2019
Gecko feet
Credits: Kate McAlpine, Michigan Engineering
University of Michigan Engineers Develop Nano-Fibers Inspired by Polar Bear Fur, Gecko Feet.
Inspired by the extraordinary characteristics of polar bear fur, lotus leaves and gecko feet, Michigan Engineers have developed a new way to make arrays of nanofibers that could bring us coatings that are sticky, repellant, insulating or light emitting, among other possibilities. Researchers discovered almost by chance a new method for making arrays of fibres that are hundreds of times thinner than a human hair. Polar bear hairs are structured to let light in while keeping heat from escaping. Water-repelling lotus leaves are coated with arrays of microscopic waxy tubules. And the nanoscale hairs on the bottoms of gravity-defying gecko feet get so close to other surfaces that atomic forces of attraction come into play. Researchers looking to mimic such 'superpowers' and more have needed a way to create the minuscule arrays that do the work.
Prof Lahann said: 'Fundamentally, this is a completely different way of making nano-fibre arrays.'
News Sources: The Michigan Engineering
Reference/Link: https://che.engin.umich.edu/stories/nanofiber-carpet-could-mimic-gecko-feet/