Bioinspired Adhesive Manufactured by Projection Microstereolithography 3D Printing Technology and Its Application

Abstract

Abstract Many methods are used to manufacture bioinspired adhesive arrays such as photolithography and nanoimprinting methods, which are very high cost and time‐consuming. In this manuscript, projection microstereolithography 3D printing method is firstly adopted to prepare the bioinspired dry adhesive in several micrometers, which is low cost, time saving, convenient and can realize rapid, large‐scale, high‐precision, and controllable complex structure manufacture. The morphology and adhesive properties of four kinds of adhesive with flat punch, mushroom‐shaped, suction cup‐shaped, and titled micropillar structures are investigated. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation shows that the very regular pattern of the adhesive is generated and no collapse phenomenon is observed. The adhesion test results show the mushroom‐shaped adhesive reach the maximum adhesion of 15 KPa, which can be maintained after repeated uses. The contact angle of the adhesive is 143.7°, showing the good self‐cleaning ability. The mushroom‐shaped adhesive exhibits excellent adhesion property, high repeatability, and good self‐cleaning ability, which is further applied in grasping and transferring various surfaces such as solar panels, printed circuit board, flanges, and so on.

Keywords

• 3D printing
• bioinspired adhesive
• grasp
• projection microstereolithography