Superior Low‐Temperature Reversible Adhesion Based on Bio‐Inspired Microfibrillar Adhesives Fabricated by Phenyl Containing Polydimethylsiloxane Elastomers. (20th April 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Xia, Shuang; Chen, Yukun; Tian, Jinfeng; Shi, Jinfeng; Geng, Chengzhen; Zou, Huawei; Liang, Mei; Li, Zhibo
• Is Part Of: Advanced functional materials. Volume 31:Number 26(2021)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2021-04-20
• Subjects: gecko‐adhesion -- low temperature -- microfibrillar adhesives -- on‐orbit grasping -- polydimethylsiloxane; Materials -- Periodicals; Chemical vapor deposition -- Periodicals; 620.11
• DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202101143
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1616-301X

Abstract

Abstract: Gecko‐inspired microfibrillar adhesives have achieved great progress in microstructure design and adhesion improvement over the past two decades. Space applications nowadays show great interest in this material for the characteristics of reversible adhesion and universal van der Waals interactions. However, the impact of harsh environment of space on the performance of microfibrillar adhesives, especially the extreme low temperature, is rarely addressed. Herein, microfibrillar adhesives fabricated by phenyl containing polydimethylsiloxane (p‐PDMS) elastomers with superior low‐temperature reversible adhesion is proposed. p‐PDMS elastomers are synthesized through one‐pot anionic ring‐opening copolymerization, and the resulting elastomers become non‐crystallizable with excellent low‐temperature elasticity. Low‐temperature adhesion tests demonstrate that the adhesion strength of microfibrillar adhesives fabricated by p‐PDMS elastomers can be well maintained to as low as −120 °C. In contrast, the adhesion strength of pure PDMS microfibrillar adhesive reduces more than 50% below its crystallization temperature. The low‐temperature cyclic adhesion tests further demonstrate that p‐PDMS microfibrillar adhesives exhibit superior reversible adhesion compared to that of PDMS microfibrillar adhesives, owing to the sustainable conformal contact and even distribution of loads over repeated cycles. This study provides a new fabrication strategy for microfibrillar adhesives, and is beneficial for the practical application of microfibrillar adhesives. Abstract : A new preparation strategy is proposed to fabricate an extreme low‐temperature operative microfibrillar adhesive based on synthetic non‐crystallizable phenyl containing polydimethylsiloxane (p‐PDMS). p‐PDMS microfibrillar adhesive exhibits robust reversible adhesion to as low as −120 °C, due to the sustainable conformal contact and even distribution of loads over repeated cycles at low temperatures.