Gallium-Based Reversible Adhesive

May-24-16 A new gallium-based reversible adhesive that turns off or on as needed could have far-reaching applications in robotics.

The adhesive is based on the fact that gallium will melt at just above room temperature (85.56° F), transitioning from a solid to a liquid. With this in mind, the team from the Max Planck Institute placed a drop of gallium between two objects, then cooled it until the material solidified—causing the objects to stick together. Heating the gallium liquefied it again, and allowed the objects to be separated with very little force, and left no residue behind.

The gallium-based reversible adhesive can be used on all types of surfaces—be they smooth, rough or even wet—and has distinct advantages over vacuum-handling techniques, which require sustained energy to operate.

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[PHYS.ORG]
[MPG.DE]

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