Bio-inspired Hierarchical Microsuckers for Dry-Wet Amphibious Adhesion

doi:10.1007/s40242-026-6081-5

Chemical Research in Chinese Universities ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (4): 1251-1259.doi: 10.1007/s40242-026-6081-5

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Bio-inspired Hierarchical Microsuckers for Dry-Wet Amphibious Adhesion

ZHANG Yikai^1,2, ZHAO Ran^1,2, ZHAN Yize^1,2, ZHANG Feilong^1,2, WANG Shutao^1,2

1. Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Smart Interface Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, P. R. China;
2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China

Received:2026-03-26 Revised:2026-04-21 Online:2026-08-01 Published:2026-07-28
Contact: ZHANG Feilong,E-mail:zhangfl@mail.ipc.ac.cn;WANG Shutao,E-mail:stwang@mail.ipc.ac.cn E-mail:zhangfl@mail.ipc.ac.cn;stwang@mail.ipc.ac.cn
Supported by:
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 22521103, 22575259) and the Beijing Outstanding Young Scientist Program, China (No. JWZQ20240102014).

Abstract

Abstract: While biomimetic suction cups have been broadly implemented in diverse fields including soft robotics, intelligent equipment, and precision manufacturing, current research efforts are predominantly directed at improving adhesion performance in isolated dry or underwater environments, with scarce attention paid to achieving consistent, full-scenario stable adhesion of suction cups across wet/dry amphibious conditions. Herein, we developed a hierarchical microsucker system with polyampholyte hydrogel for high-performance wet/dry amphibious adhesion. This system, which synergizes the intrinsic dynamic ionic bonds of polyampholyte hydrogel with multi-stage negative pressure enhancement, achieves robust adhesion in both underwater and dry conditions. The normal adhesion force of the hierarchical microsuckers is 1.82 times (wet state) and 1.88 times (dry state) higher than those of single-level microsuckers, respectively. Furthermore, this hierarchical polyampholyte hydrogel microsuckers can be integrated as a functional adhesive layer for robotic dexterous hands, enabling reliable grasping of objects on rough surfaces in complex underwater environments. This work provides a novel strategy for cross-medium robotic dexterous hand applications.

Key words: Bio-inspired, Hierarchical microsucker, Polyampholyte hydrogel, Amphibious adhesion

ZHANG Yikai, ZHAO Ran, ZHAN Yize, ZHANG Feilong, WANG Shutao. Bio-inspired Hierarchical Microsuckers for Dry-Wet Amphibious Adhesion[J]. Chemical Research in Chinese Universities, 2026, 42(4): 1251-1259.

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Bio-inspired Hierarchical Microsuckers for Dry-Wet Amphibious Adhesion

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