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A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 2 0 1 3 GECKO-INSPIRED SURFACES TAKE HOLD A new, cost-effective method of making gecko-inspired adhesive mater- ials could enable mass production of the technology. A team from Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, dis- covered how to efficiently develop new polymers with “gecko adhesion” surfaces, opening the possibility to make the versatilegripping stripswidely available to manufacturing and homes. Current grippers on assembly lines, such as clamps, magnets, and suction cups, can each lift limited ranges of objects. Grippers based on gecko-inspired surfaces, which are dry and contain no glue, could replace many grippers or simply fill in capability gaps left by other grippingmechanisms. The adhesion comes from protru- sions a few hundredmicrons in size that often look like sections of short, floppy walls running parallel to each other across the material’s surface. Until now, molding has produced these mesoscale walls by pouring ingredients onto a template, letting the mixture react and set to a flexible polymer then remov- ing it from the mold. But the method is inconvenient. The new method forms the walls by pouring ingredients onto a smooth surface instead of a mold, letting the polymer partially set then dipping rows of laboratory razor blades into it. The material sets a little more around the blades, which are then drawn out, leav- ing behind micron-scale indentations surrounded by the desired walls. Researchers will now work toward achieving a V-shape gecko gripping pat- tern in polyurethane. gatech.edu . SANDIA OFFERS FREE TECHNOLOGY LICENSES A fast-track licensing program out of Sandia National Laboratories, Albu- querque, N.M., aims to rapidly deploy technology to a marketplace reeling from the effects of COVID-19. The move is designed to support businesses fac- ing widespread, often technical chal- lenges resulting from the pandemic. “In light of the national emergency, we’re making technology transfer as simple as possible,” says Sandia’s Mary Monson. “The Rapid Technology Deployment Program is an effort to streamline deployment of potential solutions to our partners in industry.” Under the new program, more than 1000 Sandia-patented technolo- gies are temporarily eligible for any U.S. person to use commercially for free. People can visit Sandia’s Rapid Technol- ogy Deployment Program page to apply for free licenses valid through Decem- ber 31. The fast-track licenses are non- exclusive, meaning more than one per- son can hold a license to use the same technology. The website contains infor- mation on which patents are available to license, as well as information about patents formerly held by Sandia that now are in the public domain and do not require a license to use. sandia.gov. EMERGING TECHNOLOGY The inset illustrates how the gecko-inspired adhesive surface is made by pushing lab razor blades into a setting polymer. Courtesy of Georgia Tech/Varenberg lab.