Science Daily May 3, 2023
Electroadhesion can involve chemical bonds, like ionic bonds, or more physical connections, like ensnaring polymer chains together. Researchers at the University of Maryland have demonstrated a universal, ‘electroadhesion’ technique that can adhere any soft materials to each other just by running electricity through them. They tested a gel in addition to three types of capsules made of alginate or chitosan that were either positively or negatively charged. When attached to graphite electrodes and exposed to a 10-V electric field for around 10 seconds, the oppositely charged materials stuck together strong enough to withstand gravity. By reversing the flow of electricity, however, the bond was easily broken. They also assembled chains and even 3D cubes out of individual, spherical capsules. They used electroadhesion to sort capsules by their charges, either by laying a charged gel on top of several capsules, or by touching them with a fingertip “robot” that adhered the capsules to themselves. According to the researchers their work demonstrates the universality of electroadhesion and could be used in robotics and tissue engineering… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Graphical abstract. Credit: ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2023, 15, 13, 17070–17077, March 24, 2023