Mechanics of reversible adhesion

Abstract

By pressure-controlled surface contact area, reversible adhesion can be achieved with strengths tunable by 3 orders of magnitude. This capability facilitates robust transfer printing of active materials and devices onto any surface for the development of stretchable and/or curvilinear electronics. The most important parameter in designing the surfaces of stamps for this process is the height of the microtips relief: tall microtips may fail to pick up electronics from their growth substrate, while short ones may fail to print electronics on the receiver substrate. Mechanics models are developed to determine the range of the microtip height for successful transfer printing. Analytical expressions for the minimum and maximum heights are obtained, which are very useful for stamp design.