SBIR/STTR Phase I: Dendritic Carbon Tape Adhesive

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop a a dry, strong, compliant adhesive tape that is removable and reusable. This will be based on a novel dendritic architecture consisting of a compliant velvet of micron-diameter carbon fibers, each with a compliant carbon nanotube array on its tip. Pressed against a surface, each nanotube array will make contact at multiple points on an atomic scale, resulting in a strong intermolecular (van der Waals) adhesive force. The Phase I project is expected to accomplish fabrication of dendritic structures, examination of these structures with electron microscopy and measurement of adhesive properties to a variety of surfaces under varying environmental conditions (i.e. air, vacuum, elevated temperature). The commercial applications of this project will be in a broad range of markets, extending from aerospace to consumer electronics.