Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Anupam Pandey has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to establish new strategies for controlling adhesion in ultra-soft and stretchable materials. His project will study how different types of materials stick together by examining thin materials that are partly attached to soft surfaces.

Small air pockets, or blisters, often form when surfaces don’t stick together properly, as seen in smartphone screen protectors or laminated materials. When these blisters are peeled away, one region may detach while another reattaches by itself in a unique transition described as peeling-to-rolling. This process causes noticeable changes in how strongly the surfaces stick together and involves complex interactions that existing methods can’t explain.  

Pandey’s project will use analytical models and numerical simulations to understand how the peel-to-roll changes the way objects detach and causes sudden changes in the force needed to pull them apart. Additionally, the research will explore how the shape and arrangement of the air pockets can be engineered to actively control adhesion at the interface. 

The findings aim to improve our understanding of how soft materials stick together in tight spaces and help design better soft interfaces for use in medical adhesives, flexible electronics, and soft robotics. To share this work, Pandey and his research team will host activities like a hands-on “Sticky Tapes” exhibit for kids, a summer workshop for high school students, and opportunities for undergraduates to get involved with research.  

“This award gives us an exciting opportunity to uncover the mechanics of adhesion of blistered films on soft and stretchable materials,” says Pandey. “I’m eager to see how these insights will inspire both new science and practical applications.”