Gecko Gear

[Todg]

Introduced at TL8 or 9, Gecko gear, typically gloves or boots utilize microscopic hairlike structures called setae to provide a reuseable, glue like surface that allows the wearer to climb sheer surfaces or adhere to them without requiring magnetic attraction or suction.

Aside from being used in such mundane applications as climbing gear, Geck Gear is frequently encounted as part of vacc suits in place of older magnetic boots and gloves.

Gecko Gear can adhere to almost any surface, wet or dry, including extremely smooth matterial like glass.

Geck Gear becomes available at TL8, be is expensive and sometimes restricted. At TL9 it becomes more generally available and the price drops dramatically. The Geck Adhesion material costs about Cr500 per square meter and can be applied to a variety of surfaces. Gloves run around Cr100 and boots Cr150.

Reference URL:

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20030607/fob3.asp

http://nanotechweb.org/articles/news/2/6/1/1

[kaladorn]

How much force can it sustain before parting?

Will it work on things like hullmetal?

Will having a charged hull make any difference?

[Todg]

Originally posted by kaladorn:
How much force can it sustain before parting?

Around 10 kilos per square centimeter.

Will it work on things like hullmetal?

I don't see why not. It works be van der Waals forces (IIRC)

Will having a charged hull make any difference?

It shouldn't. Charge isn't going to effect the weak nuclear forces.

The following URL was helpful:

http://www.carlzimmer.com/articles/2000/Gecko2000.html

[womble]

Van der Waals forces are nothing to do with the weak nuclear force... they're temporary and transient electrostatic effects.

Strikes me that this would mean that a charged hull would either make VdW gecko setae adhere very strongly indeed or render them ineffective depending on the precise materials used and the nature of the hull charge.

[Todg]

Indeed. My bad. Somehow 'weak force' became 'weak nuclear force' in my brain.

I have been unable to determine if applying a charge has any effect on van der Waals forces, but I am doubtful as electromagnetic forces are different than van der Walls.

Anyone have a gecko and willing to try and experiment? [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Anthony]

Originally posted by Corejob:
I have been unable to determine if applying a charge has any effect on van der Waals forces, but I am doubtful as electromagnetic forces are different than van der Walls.

Actually, no they're not, but I doubt that charge levels that won't cause dramatic other problems for the ship will much affect gecko gear.

[Todg]

Originally posted by Anthony:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Corejob:
I have been unable to determine if applying a charge has any effect on van der Waals forces, but I am doubtful as electromagnetic forces are different than van der Walls.

Actually, no they're not, but I doubt that charge levels that won't cause dramatic other problems for the ship will much affect gecko gear. </font>[/QUOTE]If van der Waals forces aren't different for electromagnetic forces, then why do they distinguish between the two? Enquiring minds want to know.

[Straybow]

Hmmm, chemzone didn't work womble. Try van der Walls (part of CHIMEd)

Van der Walls interactions are similar to but smaller than permanent polarization across molecular bonds. The tendency toward polarization is strong in the case hydrogen, and is sometimes even called hydrogen bonding. Naturally polarized molecules would only help the van der Walls driven gecko effect.

However, electrostatic charge is more of a macroscopic effect that would not alter either van der Walls or hydrogen bonding. Molecules or lattice members with either excess or deficit electron count make up a tiny fraction of the surface molecules or atoms available for vdW interaction.

[Anthony]

Originally posted by Corejob:
If van der Waals forces aren't different for electromagnetic forces, then why do they distinguish between the two?

They're a subcategory of electromagnetic force -- electromagnetic forces are a ridiculously broad category. The entire field of chemistry is about electromagnetic forces at work.

[Todg]

I think that is perhaps an overbroad definition of elctromagnetic. Certainly it can be demonstrated that 'traditional' electromagnetic fields have little effect on say covalent bonding unless the energy is raised to ridiculous levels.

I'd venture to say that the field of chemistry is more about the interaction of atoms, and more specifically, electron clouds.

Bear in mind that it's been over a dozen years since I was employed as a chemist, and the brain loses data over time.