Adhesive performance enhancement of the mushroom-shaped microstructured elastomer by atmospheric plasma treatment

Bioinspired reversible adhesives that have been developed in the course of recent years have found several applications in robotics, transportation, and marine applications. One of their prominent features is strong reversible static adhesion. To fulfill the requirements of various applications, the static adhesive performance of these materials can be enhanced by modifying the material and surface properties. In this work, the mushroom-shaped adhesive microstructured surface was functionalized by atmospheric plasma treatment to enhance its adhesive performances. Through optimizing the duration of the treatment, the pull-off force increase of up to 60% can be reached after the treatment in comparison to the measurements performed on the same mushroom-shaped microstructured sample before the treatment. In comparison to the microstructured samples, the attachment of the unstructured sample made of the same silicone elastomer was enhanced by 16% after plasma treatment. The strong adhesion enhancement on the microstructured sample was attributed to the combination of the changed effective elastic modulus of the material and the specific detachment behavior of microstructures. These results are anticipated to contribute to the further development of bioinspired dry adhesives and may potentially widen their usage in various technological applications.