Abstract

The interaction between two bodies in close proximity is strongly influenced by the chemical nature of their outmost molecular layer and their surface topography. The external control of these factors enables fine tuning of the resulting adhesion forces. Particular interesting are surface designs which enable strong but reversible attachment, or even selective adhesion. Biology provides spectacular examples which inspire our developments, eg. the hierarchical assembly of nanosized setae found in gecko’s feet which enable their effective locomotion, or the selective attachment or cells to surfaces with particular topographies and compositions. Artificial realisation of such properties requires the combination of materials and surface chemistry with micro and nanofabrication techniques to obtain complex and responsive surface designs. Novel developments based on wavelength sensitive materials and complex 3D topographies will be presented. These will allow us to control adhesion phenomena at different levels in multiple fields of modern technologies. http://www.mf.mpg.de/en/abteilungen/arzt/chemistry.html