Kirigami-inspired structures for smart adhesion

Abstract

Spatially controlled layouts of elasticity can provide enhanced adhesion over homogeneous systems. Here, kirigami-inspired structures at interfaces provide a new mechanism to spatially control and enhance adhesion strength while providing directional characteristics for smart interfaces. We use kirigami-inspired cuts to define stiff and compliant regions, where above a critical, material-defined length scale, bending rigidity and contact width can be tuned to enhance adhesive force capacity by a factor of ˜100 across a spatially patterned adhesive sheet. The directional nature of these designs also imparts anisotropic responses, where peeling in different directions results in anisotropic adhesion ratios of ˜10. The bending rigidity and contact width of kirigami-inspired structures and interconnects control the adhesive capacity. These new interfacial structures and design criteria provide diverse routes for advanced adhesive functionality, including spatially controlled systems, wearable kirigami-inspired electronics, and anisotropic kirigami-inspired bandages that enable strong adhesive capacity while maintaining easy release.