Quantitative Analysis of Adhesion between Pollen/Hairy Foot/Stigma
Hairy attachment systems that insects possess allows reliable attachment to any surfaces with quick detachment during their locomotion. These reversible adhesive systems have attracted great academic attention, which resulted in industrial applications including gecko-inspired reversible bonding. As an additional inspiration, this study will focus on insect-mediated pollination process, in which multiple attachment/detachment cycles enable the directional transport of a pollen grain before it finally lands on a stigma. Considering the multifunctionality of many other biological surfaces, the hairy adhesive devices may also play an essential role in successful pollen grain transport. One of the evidences behind this is that contamination on the hairy adhesive devices was recently found to be strongly dependent on the geometrical parameter of contamination particles that have almost the same scale as that of pollen grains. This implies the unexplored functions of attachment systems mediated by the structural parameters of pollen and contact devices of insects. This study aims at grasping the fundamental mechanism that controls the deferential attachment system on the interface of pollen grains. Revealing the secret behind it could possibly lead to manipulation of the selective attachment properties to design materials that are able to collect or repel particles, ranging from detrimental particulates to industrially used powders that need to be used with precise control.