Surface wettability plays a significant role in gecko adhesion underwater

摘要: Although we now have thousands of studies focused on the nano-, micro-, and whole-animal mechanics gecko adhesion clean, dry substrates, know relatively little about effects water adhesion. For many species, however, rainfall frequently wets natural surfaces they navigate. In an effort to begin closing this gap, tested geckos submerged substrates that vary in their wettability. When a wet hydrophilic surface, produced significantly lower shear adhesive force (5.4 ± 1.33 N) compared with surface (17.1 3.93 N). tests intermediate wetting hydrophobic found no difference between contact. Finally, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), clung better PTFE (8.0 1.09 than (1.6 0.66 To help explain our results, developed models based thermodynamic theory for contacting different media can predict ratio air. Our findings provide insight into how may function environments also significant implications development synthetic mimic retains water.