Controllable biomimetic adhesion using embedded phase change material

In many cases, such as in the instance of climbing robots or temporary adhesives, there is the need to be able to dynamically control the level of adhesion a biomimetic dry adhesive can provide. In this study, the effect of changing the backing layer stiffness of a dry adhesive is examined. Embedding a phase change material within the backing of a synthetic dry adhesive sheet allows the stiffness to be tailored at different points of a preload and adhesion cycle. Larger contact areas and more equal load sharing between adhesive fibres can be achieved by increasing the backing layer stiffness after initial deformation when the adhesive backing is loaded in its softened state. Adhesion behaviour is examined when the backing layer is maintained in solid and softened phases during complete load cycles and for load cycles under the condition of contact with the softened phase backing followed by pull-off during the solid phase. Absolute adhesion force is increased for trials in which a soft backing layer hardens prior to pull-off. This effect is due to the increased contact area made between the rounded probe and the softened material during preloading and the more equal load sharing condition during pull-off when the backing layer becomes stiff again.