Abstract
The attachment of abalone to surfaces was investigated and the stress for separation was measured and determined to be 0.15 MPa. The surface of the abalone foot in contact with surfaces was characterized and is found to be composed of fibers (setae) terminated by spatulae with a diameter of 200 nm in a similar fashion to gekko feet. The areal density of the spatulae is 1.9 x 106/mm2. Atomic force microscopy measurements show that the spatulae show bonding to surfaces and that the bonding force per spatula is 3 µN. This is characteristic of van der Waals forces in a similar way to gekko feet. This corresponds to a theoretical attachent stress of 0.18 MPa, in accordance with the experimental measurements. Other effects, such as capilarity and suction are also being investigated. Research funded by the National Science Foundation Grant DMR 0510138.