Bioinspired Micro Glue Threads Fabricated by Liquid Bridge-to-Solidification as an Effective Sensing Platform

Abstract

Spiders synthesize their web using a liquid bridge to-solidification mechanism at the end of their glands. Inspired by this process, in this work, we fabricated micro-glue threads (mu GTs, polymer microwires) byj a simple "pinch and spread" process using just two fingertips. The l pGTs exhibited excellent tensile strength (similar to 50GPa) comparable to those of spider silk and biological fibers. The chemical, physical, and mechanical properties of the mu pGTs were investigated, and it was confirmed that the thickness of the idGTs could be controlled by ethanol treatment in varying concentrations. Moreover, electrically conductive, mu GTs were easily fabricated by simply mixing them with various nanomaterials such as gold nanoparticles, zinc oxide nanowires, and reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Interestingly, the conductive mu GTs, fabricated using rGO exhibited remarkable electrical conductivity (0.45 mu S) compared to those fabricated using other materials. The conductive mu GTs are applicable not only to NO2 gas sensing but also as electrical fuselike materials that melt when the humidity increases Collectively, the results present mu GTs as cost-effective, simple, and versatile materials, which enables their application in a variety of sensors.