Development of an electro-adhesive surface applying 3-dimensional micro structures

Electro adhesive gel (EAG) shows a unique characteristic changing its surface adhesive property according to the applied electric field, which is named as electro-adhesive effect (EA effect). Our recent research results indicated that the EAG is feasible to be applied to fixture, clutch, damping, and brake mechanisms. While the performance of EAG has been dramatically enhanced over the past decade, the individual difference caused by the production process has been still problem. In other word, adhesive area of EAGs under the same electric filed is non-uni form and uncontrollable. In this research, to ensure stable EA effect, an electro-adhesive surface (EAS) applying 3-dimensional micro structure alternative to the EAG is proposed. The proposed EAS is composed of the 3-D micro-mesh structure fabricated by the photolithography and silicone gel. The prototype of the EAS was developed and its characteristic was experimentally investigated by microscopic observation and shear test. The result obviously shows that the EAS generates larger adhesive force in higher intensity of electric filed. Furthermore, a uniform and regular pattern of adhesion area is clearly observed. From these results, EAS has a strong possibility to improve the stability of EA effect and enhance the performance of its application devices.