Setex Geckotape from nanoGriptech has fiber tips and a release film that help adhere to surfaces without leaving a residue.

Benefits

  • Reusable
  • Residue-free
  • Glue-free

Applications

  • Wearables
  • Robotics
  • Automotive
  • Medicine
  • Packaging

UN Sustainable Development Goals Addressed

  • Goal 9: Industry Innovation & Infrastructure

The Challenge

Adhesives are used in every industry and are an essential part of everyday life. However, traditional adhesives are single-use and often use a strong glue that can leave a sticky residue once removed. Additionally, many adhesives quickly lose their effectiveness when wet.

Innovation Details

Setex Geckotape™ has thousands of anti-slip microstructured fibers on its surface, similar to a gecko’s foot. This enormous surface area creates a large region of attraction that allows it to stick to a variety of surfaces, even in wet or oily conditions.

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Biological Model

Geckos have amazing adhesive abilities and can stick to almost any surface. Their toe pads are covered in millions of small hair-like projections called setae. These setae branch further into hundreds of nano-scale structures that end in tiny discs called spatulae. This multi-scale branching gives gecko feet a very high surface area. Spatulae stick to surfaces by van der Waals forces that occur between all molecules. Although these forces are individually weak, the high surface area of all the spatulae combined makes the force quite strong, which enable geckos to adhere quickly and easily to surfaces.