Fabrication of high aspect ratio microfiber arrays that mimic gecko foot hairs

Abstract

In nature, geckos have developed complex adhesion structures capable of smart adhesion, which is the ability to cling to different smooth and rough surfaces, even ceilings, and detach at will. The hierarchical structure of gecko foot hairs consists of microscale setae, branches and nanoscale spatulae, which contributes to their strong adhesion on different surfaces. In this paper, we propose a simple and low-cost method for fabricating two-level high aspect ratio microfiber arrays that mimic gecko foot hairs. SU-8 photoresist was used and single-level SU-8 microfiber arrays were obtained by a thick film photolithography process. Single-level polydimethyl-siloxane (PDMS) microfiber arrays were also obtained by a micromolding process and the master template for this process was fabricated using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) technology. Using the silicon mold with deep-hole arrays as a substrate, an SU-8 layer with microhole arrays was added to it using thick film photolithography and it formed a double stack mold from which the two-level hierarchical PDMS microfiber arrays were replicated. Water contact angle tests showed that the two-level hierarchical structures are extremely hydrophobic (about 148.5° compared with the Tokay gecko’s 160°).