Most of us use tape regularly, from the packages we get in the mail, to moving boxes, or even Band-aids. Now, researchers at Virginia Tech have found a way to make tape stay on longer.
“We can take a weak adhesive, something like a post it note, and we could make it as strong as duct tape,” said mechanical engineering associate professor Michael Bartlett. His team has developed unusual technologies over the years, like an underwater glove that mimics an octopus.
Now, they’ve improved one of the most universally common objects—tape. “And we’re not doing anything to the chemistry,” Bartlett said.
They use a laser cutter, and in 10 seconds, carve dozens of little flaps into the tape. The flaps are about the size of a tic tac. They look like squares with three sides cut out.
It makes tape 60 times stronger, said Bartlett.
The flaps give the tape extra resistance, making it harder to peel off, but when you pull the tape from another direction, the tape peels off easily.
“A lot of technology requires something very sophisticated to improve their performance. I think one of the great things about this is the simplicity,” Bartlett said.
They tested their design by dropping boxes with the tape from six feet in the air.
Bartlett said the technology could be used by hospitals, to create specialized bandages. Or used to mail heavy packages, with boxes that won’t fall apart.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.