Projekt 4. - Institut for Matematik og Datalogi - Syddansk Universitet

N a t u r v i d e n s k a b e l i g t P r o j e k t / F a r m a c e u t : V a l g f r i t P r o j e k t
Projekt 60. Smart climbing – Geckos have it in their
feet
Vejleder: Beate Klösgen, kloesgen@ifk.sdu.dk*;Per Morgen
Institut: IFK, Dep. of Physics and Chemistry
Gruppeplacering: IFK , MEMPHYS labs
Gruppestørrelse: 3-4 participants per group, 1 group
Kommentarer: teaching language will be a mixture of English and Danish ;
reporting / presentation can be chosen to be performed in either language
Keywords:
nanobioscience / bionics / physics:
Gecko effect / adhesion / van-der-Waals interaction
Abstract
All Geckos can, Spiderman can, too, at least if the proper adhesive
is available! Climbing the wall, just by running it, how can that be
done?
The project introduces into the topic of adhesion – the tight interaction
among two adjacent surfaces. Students will learn about what
are the interactions that can serve as a glue, and about how must an
interaction surface be designed for the case of tight adhesion, still
allowing to detach?
The Gecko foot “knows” to do it in perfection! The trick will be
seen to consist in a combination of the proper interaction – the vander-Waals
interaction – with a nanoscopic structure: tiny protein
filaments provide van-der-Waals contact sites with the wall. Thus
the Gecko can nicely stick to a wall at whatsoever height, and still
lift its feet and continue to run its way up or down.
The practical part involves
information gathering (contact and adhesion, van-der-Waals interaction; change of interaction
area by filament bending deformation),
preparing Gecko foot skin for the scanning electron microscope (SEM),
studying the Gecko foot using the SEM,
exploit the conditions of designing artificial surfaces capable of the “Gecko effect”
The project will start with reading assignments and discussions. Students will learn to assemble
the information required using the local library and electronic data bases. They will prepare their
own samples and learn how to characterize them by SEM (and possibly by force measurements).
Minikurser
Obligatorisk: Projektarbejde (Microsoft, Nat)
Anbefalede: Ingen
from: Geim et al., Microfabricated
adhesive mimicking Gecko foot-hair,
Natuer Materials, 2, 461-463 (2003)
Litteraturliste over metode artikler, som udleveres til de studerende
Handout material will be offered from week 1. Additional material will be found during a literature
search (university library, internet, data bases )
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