For_Immediate_Release:
Background
Prior gecko
electrostatics was based on the premise that dust nanoparticles (NPs) are
ubiquitous and attach in large numbers to walls and ceilings. NP detachment by
spatula located at the tip of toe-hairs was shown to produce electromagnetic
(EM) radiation that by the photoelectric effect produced charge, thereby
allowing the gecko to walk on room surfaces by electrostatic attraction. About
45 million <100 nm dust NPs were shown necessary to support the gecko weight.
However, surface concentrations inferred from typical volumetric air
concentrations suggest the necessary number of NPs may not be available to
support the gecko on diverse room surfaces. Because of this, the limited number
of dust NPs is shown compensated by the induced electrostatic attraction by as
many as 6 billion spatulae.
Electrostatic Spatulae
Mechanism
The EM confinement of the spatulae atoms differs from that of the
dust NPs. Confinement of the spatulae as a thin annular disk centrally suported
on the stalk is based on an extension of a principle first proposed by John
Tyndall in the 1870’s. Tyndall’s principle of EM confinement relies on the
properties of a dielectric (non-conducting) medium surrounded by another
dielectric material of lower refractive index (RI). The spatulae is surrounded
by air except at the spatulae interface with the stalk which is shown to act
like a mirror to provide the EM confinement of the kT energy of spatulae atoms.
See www.nanoqed.org at link “Gecko Update”
Thermal kT energy is recovered
as the spatulae attach to room surfaces while detachment induces the emission of
VUV radiation that charges the spatulae. Only contact is necessary to recover kT
energy of spatulae atoms following VUV emission provided the surface is
macroscopic that by quantum mechanics is allowed to have kT > 0. Thermal
response is prompt because of the nanoscale thickness of the annular disk. Upon
detachment, the EM confinement requires the kT energy to vanish with
conservation proceeding by the spatulae emitting VUV radiation. By the
photoelectric effect, the VUV induces the surface to lose electrons to charge
positive with the electrons charging the spatulae negative. The gecko is
therefore held to the room surface by the spatulae induced electrostatic force
to significantly supplement that induced from dust NPs.
Conclusions
Gecko charging by
detaching dust NPs with toe-hairs is limited by the availability of NPs on
diverse wall and ceiling surfaes. However, the more than 600 million spatulae
attached to the gecko toe-hairs that induce electrostatic attraction upon
contact with the room surfaces more than compensate for the limited number of
dust NPs to allow the gecko weight to easily be
supported.
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information:Keywords: geckos,quantum mechancis,van der
waals
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