A reversible wet/dry adhesive inspired by mussels and geckos
Abstract
The adhesive strategy of the gecko relies on foot pads composed of specialized keratinous foot-hairs called setae, which are subdivided into terminal spatulae of approximately 200 nm (ref. 1). Contact between the gecko foot and an opposing surface generates adhesive forces that are sufficient to allow the gecko to cling onto vertical and even inverted surfaces. Although strong, the adhesion is temporary, permitting rapid detachment and reattachment of the gecko foot during locomotion. Researchers have attempted to capture these properties of gecko adhesive in synthetic mimics with nanoscale surface features reminiscent of setae; however, maintenance of adhesive performance over many cycles has been elusive, and gecko adhesion is greatly diminished upon full immersion in water. Here we report a hybrid biologically inspired adhesive consisting of an array of nanofabricated polymer pillars coated with a thin layer of a synthetic polymer that mimics the wet adhesive proteins found in mussel holdfasts. Wet adhesion of the nanostructured polymer pillar arrays increased nearly 15-fold when coated with mussel-mimetic polymer. The system maintains its adhesive performance for over a thousand contact cycles in both dry and wet environments. This hybrid adhesive, which combines the salient design elements of both gecko and mussel adhesives, should be useful for reversible attachment to a variety of surfaces in any environment.
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3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) exists in mussel adhesive proteins.
“These works reveal that a noncanonical amino acid, namely, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) exists in the mussel adhesive proteins [6,7].”
From Mussel-Inspired Injectable Adhesive Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications (2024) · cites this paper as [6]
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“These works reveal that a noncanonical amino acid, namely, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) exists in the mussel adhesive proteins [6,7].”
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- Authors
- Lee, H., Lee, B. P., & Messersmith, P. B.
- Affiliations
- Northwestern University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Messersmith, Phillip B.
- Venue
- Nature
- Published
- 2007-07
- Volume
- 448
- Issue
- 7151
- Pages
- 338-341
- ISSN
- 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4687
- OpenAlex
- W2103511109
- Cited by
- 2,043
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 59 · 2025: 97 · 2024: 91 · 2023: 118 · 2022: 133 · 2021: 153 · 2020: 142 · 2019: 150 · 2018: 148 · 2017: 137 · 2016: 121 · 2015: 102 · 2014: 144 · 2013: 103 · 2012: 96
- FWCI
- 92.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Northwestern University
- University of Chicago
- National Institutes of Health
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanics of Materials › Adhesion, Friction, and Surface Interactions
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Surfaces, Coatings and Films › Polymer Surface Interaction Studies
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Ocean Engineering › Marine Biology and Environmental Chemistry
- Keywords
- wet adhesion, dry adhesion, reversible adhesion, gecko setae, mussel adhesive proteins, biomimetic adhesives, nanofabrication, biomimetic materials
- MeSH terms
- Adhesiveness, Adhesives, Animals, Polymers, Vertebrates, Water, Biomimetics, Biomimetic Materials, Nanostructures, Bivalvia
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