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Gecko-like glue is said to be stickiest yet
A new type of dry glue designed to mimic gecko feet is 10 times stickier than the gravity-defying lizards, and three times stickier than other gecko-inspired glues, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.
"It's the stickiest dry glue yet," said Liming Dai of the University of Dayton, who reported on the glue in the journal Science.
A 1-inch (2.5-cm) square of the adhesive can support the weight of a 220-pound (100-kg) man climbing up a vertical surface, but it can be easily lifted and reapplied, an ideal material for, say, a Spider-Man suit.
"That is not real. What we do is real," said Zhong Lin Wang of Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, referring to the comic book superhero's wall-climbing prowess.
Aside from helping people walk up walls, the glue could be used in electrical components without the need for soldering, Wang and Dai said in a telephone interview.
And because it is dry, it could be used at very low temperatures as in space, where more conventional glues lose their grip.
Like other gecko-inspired glues, the new glue uses a carpet of carbon nanotubes, thin filaments of carbon molecules. But attached to the ends of these filaments are curly strands of carbon that expand the surface area of the glue's gripping action.
This design matches the structure of real gecko feet, which have microscopic hairs that branch off in different directions.
"Our sticky glue has a force 10 times that of gecko feet and three times more than previous sticky glues trying to mimic the gecko feet," said Dai, who also worked with teams from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory near Dayton and the University of Akron to develop the glue.
Dai said the design is meant to maximize the effect of atomic-scale attractive forces known as van der Waals forces. When the curly part of the tubes are pressed onto a surface, the tubes become aligned with the surface, forming a strong bond. But, when lifted at an angle, this bond is broken.
Wang uses the analogy of having a foot stuck in mud. If you pull straight up, the foot stays stuck, but if you slowly peel the foot away, the bond is broken. A new type of dry glue designed to mimic gecko feet is 10 times stickier than the gravity-defying lizards, and three times stickier th... more -
World's stickiest glue could make you walk up walls
"A new type of dry glue designed to mimic gecko feet is 10 times stickier than the gravity-defying lizards, and three times stickier than other gecko-inspired glues, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.
'It's the stickiest dry glue yet,' said Liming Dai of the University of Dayton, who reported on the glue in the journal Science. 'Our sticky glue has a force 10 times that of gecko feet and three times more than previous sticky glues trying to mimic the gecko feet.'
A 1-inch (2.5-cm) square of the adhesive can support the weight of a 220-pound (100-kg) man climbing up a vertical surface, but it can be easily lifted and reapplied, an ideal material for, say, a Spider-Man suit.
Aside from helping people walk up walls, the glue could be used in electrical components without the need for soldering."
Learn more at: http://www.udayton.edu/News/Article/?contentId=18761 ; http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/322/5899... "A new type of dry glue designed to mimic gecko feet is 10 times stickier than the gravity-defying lizards, and three times stick... more -
Heathrow hater glues himself to Gordon Brown
A campaigner against the further expansion of Heathrow Airport attempted to glue his own hand to that of Gordon Brown during a Downing Street reception.
The protester, part of the ingeniously entitled campaign group, 'Plane Stupid' was reportedly about to receive an award when he covered his hand with superglue and reached out for that trusty handshake.
Dan Glass, said he "glued his hand" to Mr Brown's jacket as he shook his hand, but that Brown "was just grinning about it. He didn't seem to take me seriously."
A formal press release from Downing Street said there had been "no stickiness of any significance". A campaigner against the further expansion of Heathrow Airport attempted to glue his own hand to that of Gordon Brown during a Downing... more -
Crazy Idea From Romania : Man Superglues Condom to Penis to Save on Sex!
A Romanian man needed some help after his ‘great idea’ started to feel not so great. He had superglued his condom to his penis.
The 43-year-old father-of-five told doctors he and his wife didn’t want any more children. Their obvious solution was to start using condoms A Romanian man needed some help after his ‘great idea’ started to feel not so great. He had superglued his condom to his penis. ... more -
Boy Glues Hand To Bed
A Mexican boy wanted so badly to prolong his Christmas break that he glued his hand to his bed so he wouldn't have to return to school. A Mexican boy wanted so badly to prolong his Christmas break that he glued his hand to his bed so he wouldn't have to return to s... more
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Solvent Abuse
We've all been there, that first day back at school after the holidays, the horrible feeling that you're gonna have to learn even more stuff and worst of all, having to get out of bed!
All of these got too much to take for a 10-year-old Mexican boy who was so determined not to return to school he glued his hand to his bed.
Diego's Mum Sandra Palacious spent nearly two hours on Monday morning trying to free her son Diego's hand with water, oil and nail polish remover before calling the authorities in the northern city of Monterrey.
He's showed good commitment to not going to school, but his reasoning of:
"I didn't want to go to school because vacation was so much fun," could've had a little bit of work...what happened to the dog excuses and being ill? We've all been there, that first day back at school after the holidays, the horrible feeling that you're gonna have to learn... more -
Playing Sick Is Old School!
10-year-old boy glued himself to the bed because he didn't want to go to school. "' The holidays were such fun,' " said Diego Palacios.
Dood!! why didn't I think of that when I was in school? On top of not going to school he got to watch cartoons while the paramedics dissolved the glue. LUCKY!!! 10-year-old boy glued himself to the bed because he didn't want to go to school. "' The holidays were such fun,' ... more -
Surgical glue cures coma victim
An abnormal use for a remarkable product
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