Ford has big plans for a new product that could improve recycling in new vehicles. The inspiration is taken straight from nature, and relies on an amazing and under-appreciated law of physics.
It’s a sticky subject, but this gecko may play a surprising part in #Ford’s future. https://t.co/iPM13bamck pic.twitter.com/r6pPli9BNh
— Ford Drive Green (@FordDriveGreen) November 16, 2015
Van der Waals forces are weak, and only effective over short distances. Very short distances.
While you'll feel the pull of a magnet toward your refrigerator from a few inches away, van der Waals forces work on a molecular scale.
Magnets have poles, positive and negative. The positive pole is attracted to the negative, and repels other positive sides. In magnets, all of the molecules are polarized in the same direction... but even in "neutral" materials, each individual molecule may have a positive and negative side, because its electrons are not evenly spaced.
That's what van der Waals forces act on. It's the attraction of molecules, negative to positive.
You're asking at this point, "Interesting, but what's it got to do with anything?"
Ever notice how geckos can cling to smooth glass, even though their feet aren't moist or sticky?
It's van der Waals forces in action-- a gecko's foot pads are coated in microscopic hairs. The tiny filaments create enough surface area to take advantage of the pull of molecules in the glass.
Ford thinks they can create a material that utilizes these tiny hairs to create strong adhesion, which, like a gecko, can release its grip without leaving residue behind.
The applications are endless, but Ford is particularly concerned with recycling. Their current methods of adhering foam to plastic and metal makes the end product impossible to break down and recycle. Gecko-inspired adhesive could solve that problem, and increase reuse of materials.
This lesson in physics and biology is brought to you by VonDerAu Ford in El Campo, TX. If you can't wait to see Ford's new sustainable materials, remember, shopping used cars is another great way to reduce your environmental impact, and save money, too.