Morphology and mechanics of the adhesive disc of liana <em>Parthenocissus tricuspidata</em>

He, Tianxian; Zhang, Li; Xin, Hongliang; Deng, Wenli

doi:10.1351/PAC-CON-08-12-06

Pure Appl. Chem., 2010, Vol. 82, No. 1, pp. 91-96

http://dx.doi.org/10.1351/PAC-CON-08-12-06

Published online 2010-01-03

Morphology and mechanics of the adhesive disc of liana Parthenocissus tricuspidata

Tianxian He, Li Zhang, Hongliang Xin and Wenli Deng*

College of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China

Abstract: A single mature adhesive disc of Parthenocissus tricuspidata has an average mass of only about 0.0005 g, an average attached area of about 1.22 mm², and an adhesive force of about 13.7 N. On average, the disc can support a combined weight of stem, leaf, branchlet, and tendril which is 260 times greater than its own weight during the growth, and can sustain a maximum pulling force which is 2 800 000 times higher than that produced by its own weight. Experimental studies reveal that the adhesive disc of P. tricuspidata has super-adhesive properties. Microscopic experiments show some new microstructures, and we propose a new hypothesis and model to elucidate the mechanism of adhesion.

Errata to this article were published in:

Pure Appl. Chem., 2011, Vol. 83, No. 6, pp. 1341-1342