I am happy to report that collaborative research undertaken during my Ph.D. at the University of Akron was recently published in Scientific Reports.
We examined how surface water, wettability, and roughness interact to impact gecko adhesion. Although our findings regarding surface water and wettability’s impacts on adhesion are generally consistent with previous research, we found that routine measurements of surface roughness using root mean square height (RMS or RMS height) can misrepresent the complexity of surface roughness, particularly when measured over a narrow range of wavelengths. Inspired by surface metrology theory and techniques, we measured surface roughness over 4 orders of magnitude using multiple instruments and represented surface roughness using the surface roughness power spectra. This technique allowed us to examine surface roughness over multiple, biologically-relevant length scales and more clearly identify relationships with gecko adhesion. Our work highlights the need for comprehensive characterization of surfaces used in the study of macroscopic properties of biological attachment systems (e.g., adhesion, friction, wetting).
You can access and read the full paper here!