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Akron OH (SPX) Aug 17, 2005 Renowned for their ability to walk up walls like miniature Spider-Men - or even to hang from the ceiling by one toe - the colorful lizards of the gecko family owe their wall-crawling prowess to their remarkable footpads. Each five-toed foot is covered with microscopic elastic hairs called setae, which are themselves split at the ends to form a forest of nanoscale fibers known as spatulas. So when a gecko steps on almost anything, these nano-hairs make such extremely close contact with the surface that they form intermolecular bonds, thus holding the foot in place. Now, polymer scientist Ali Dhinojwala of the University of Akron and his colleagues have shown how to create a densely packed carpet of carbon nanotubes that functions like an artificial gecko foot - but with 200 times the gecko foot's gripping power. Potential applications include dry adhesives for microelectronics, information technology, robotics, space and many other fields. The group's work was funded by the National Science Foundation, and is reported in a recent issue of the journal Chemical Communications. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links University of Akron SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express Nano Technology News From SpaceMart.com Computer Chip Architecture, Technology and Manufacture
Prof Develops Cancer Nanobomb
Newark DE (SPX) Oct 14, 2005University of Delaware researchers are opening a new front in the war on cancer, bringing to bear new nanotechnologies for cancer detection and treatment and introducing a unique nanobomb that can literally blow up breast cancer tumors. |
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