Octopus-inspired adhesive works well in wet conditions

In research published in Advanced Science, investigators drew inspiration from the octopus to develop an adhesive that achieves strong attachment and controlled release on varied substrates in wet and underwater environments. The feat could have numerous applications in fields ranging from health care and underwater robotics to infrastructure repair.

By studying the octopus’s suckers—specifically, the exposed disc-like portion called the infundibulum—the researchers designed an elastic, curved stalk with a membrane that can change its shape and adhere to multiple surfaces.

Underwater, the octopus-inspired adhesive strongly attached to complex objects from lightweight shells to large rocks and soft gel beads with different roughness, curvature, and hardness. The adhesive could be rapidly attached to these objects over many cycles and over long times and then be quickly released on demand.

“The octopus has an extraordinary ability to manipulate a wide range of objects underwater,” said corresponding author Michael D. Bartlett, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech. “Our work is exciting, as it takes a significant step towards replicating these characteristics in synthetic adhesives, enabling us to strongly attach and rapidly release from challenging underwater objects.”