Engineering News Blog

Engineering News

Latest news of interest to engineers. Sourced from GlobalSpec's Engineering News

Previous in Blog: Solar Shingles Could Power Tomorrow's Homes   Next in Blog: Fed's Own Hacker Cracks Homeland Security Network
Close
Close
Close
7 comments
Rate Comments: Nested

Extraordinarily Sticky Tape is Developed

Posted June 21, 2007 10:30 AM

From ScienceDaily - Breaking News:

U.S. scientists have created a flexible synthetic adhesive tape that is extraordinarily "sticky" that can adhere to a wide variety of materials. Researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., and the University of Akron in Ohio said their so-called "gecko tape" has four times the sticking power of geckos -- small lizards that can run up walls and across ceilings. The tape is a polymer covered with carbon nanotubes that imitate the thousands of microscopic hairs on a gecko's footpad. The researchers said their prototype flexible tape can stick and unstick repeatedly and be used on a wide variety of surfaces, including Teflon.

Read the whole article

Reply

Interested in this topic? By joining CR4 you can "subscribe" to
this discussion and receive notification when new comments are added.
The Engineer
Engineering Fields - Engineering Physics - Physics... United States - Member - NY Popular Science - Genetics - Organic Chemistry... Popular Science - Cosmology - New Member Ingeniería en Español - Nuevo Miembro - New Member

Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Albany, New York
Posts: 5060
Good Answers: 129
#1

Re: Extraordinarily Sticky Tape is Developed

06/21/2007 12:15 PM

Awesome.

Reply
Active Contributor

Join Date: May 2007
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 16
#2

Re: Extraordinarily Sticky Tape is Developed

06/21/2007 3:59 PM

This is posted in Tuesday's news...

http://cr4.globalspec.com/blogentry/2288/Nanotube-adhesive-sticks-better-than-a-gecko-s-foot

__________________
"The sweat of hard work is not to be displayed. It is much more graceful to appear favored by the gods." -Maxine Hong Kingston
Reply
Guru

Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Etherville
Posts: 12362
Good Answers: 115
#5
In reply to #2

Re: Extraordinarily Sticky Tape is Developed

06/26/2007 10:30 PM

My money says the spiderman suit was here first at /1841.

Search on 'Gecko' and all shall see

__________________
For sale - Signature space. Apply on self addressed postcard..
Reply
Guru
Engineering Fields - Manufacturing Engineering - United Kingdom - Member - Get things done!

Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: East Anglia, UK
Posts: 2003
Good Answers: 3
#6
In reply to #5

Re: Extraordinarily Sticky Tape is Developed

06/27/2007 2:35 AM

Seems to me you're trying to adhere to your personal paradigm to much.....

__________________
'The truth is out there' The lies are in your head.
Reply
Guru

Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Etherville
Posts: 12362
Good Answers: 115
#7
In reply to #6

Re: Extraordinarily Sticky Tape is Developed

06/27/2007 6:02 AM

.... But which one , I use so many. Gestalt maybe ? Yes it works ;

Stick with me and you won't go far.

The scum is more than the farts .

Gecko threads of the forum unite !

__________________
For sale - Signature space. Apply on self addressed postcard..
Reply
Guru
Popular Science - Cosmology - New Member United States - Member - New Member

Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: 33.49N, 84.19W
Posts: 1475
Good Answers: 3
#3

Re: Extraordinarily Sticky Tape is Developed

06/22/2007 7:05 PM

Fascinating!

"their flexible tape can stick and unstick repeatedly"

I'm just wondering if someone were to use it to climb walls etc., how would they unstick it in order to take the next step, or move to new hand placement? Sounds to me like a more permanent version of those dudes that compete by throwing themselves against a velcro wall (highest person wins).

Cheers,

-John

__________________
All worthwhile programmers know that constants always vary.
Reply
Guru

Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: KnoxTN
Posts: 1485
Good Answers: 6
#4

Re: Extraordinarily Sticky Tape is Developed

06/22/2007 9:44 PM

Sounds a lot like "Gorrila" tape the successor to duct tape. Sticks tighter and grip lasts longer.

__________________
Do Nothing Simply When a Way Can be Found to Make it Complex and Wonderful
Reply
Reply to Blog Entry 7 comments
Copy to Clipboard

Users who posted comments:

Bayes (1); Johnjohn (1); Kris (2); MintyFresh@GS (1); PlbMak (1); Stirling Stan (1)

Previous in Blog: Solar Shingles Could Power Tomorrow's Homes   Next in Blog: Fed's Own Hacker Cracks Homeland Security Network

Advertisement