Scotch tape finds new use as grasping 'smart material'

November 20, 2012

The researchers used Scotch tape to create a tiny grasping claw that collects droplets of water, an innovation could be used to collect water samples for environmental testing. The material, seen here, becomes flexible when exposed to humidity and returns to its original shape when dry. (Manuel Ochoa, Purdue University)

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Scotch tape, a versatile household staple and a mainstay of holiday gift-wrapping, may have a new scientific application as a shape-changing "smart material."

Researchers used a laser to form slender half-centimeter-long fingers out of the tape. When exposed to water, the four wispy fingers morph into a tiny robotic claw that captures water droplets.

The innovation could be used to collect water samples for environmental testing, said Babak Ziaie, a Purdue University professor of electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering.

The Scotch tape - made from a cellulose-acetate sheet and an adhesive - is uniquely suited for the purpose.

"It can be micromachined into different shapes and works as an inexpensive smart material that interacts with its environment to perform specific functions," he said.

Doctoral student Manuel Ochoa came up with the idea. While using tape to collect pollen, he noticed that it curled when exposed to humidity. The cellulose-acetate absorbs water, but the adhesive film repels water.

"So, when one side absorbs water it expands, the other side stays the same, causing it to curl," Ziaie said.

The graspers were coated with magnetic particles, which could allow researchers to retrieve the devices in the field by using a magnet. (Manuel Ochoa, Purdue University)

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A laser was used to machine the tape to a tenth of its original thickness, enhancing this curling action. The researchers coated the graspers with magnetic nanoparticles so that they could be collected with a magnet.

"Say you were sampling for certain bacteria in water," Ziaie said. "You could drop a bunch of these and then come the next day and collect them.”

Findings will be detailed in a presentation during a meeting of the Materials Research Society in Boston from Sunday (Nov. 25) to Nov. 30. Experiments at Purdue's Birck Nanotechnology Center were conducted by Ochoa, doctoral student Girish Chitnis and Ziaie.

The grippers close underwater within minutes and can sample one-tenth of a milliliter of liquid.

"Although brittle when dry, the material becomes flexible when immersed in water and is restored to its original shape upon drying, a crucial requirement for an actuator material because you can use it over and over," Ziaie said. "Various microstructures can be carved out of the tape by using laser machining. This fabrication method offers the capabilities of rapid prototyping and batch processing without the need for complex clean-room processes."

An animated GIF of the gripper closing is available at https://engineering.purdue.edu/ZBML/img/research/plain-gripper-closing.gif

The materials might be "functionalized" so that they attract specific biochemicals or bacteria in water.

Writer: Emil Venere, 765-494-4709, venere@purdue.edu

Sources: Babak Ziaie, 765-494-0725, bziaie@purdue.edu

Manuel Ochoa, ochoam@purdue.edu

Related website:

Other animated GIFs using the material to create a mini-Purdue logo:

https://engineering.purdue.edu/ZBML/img/research/pu-tape-1-small.gif

https://engineering.purdue.edu/ZBML/img/research/pu-tape-2-small.gif