Abstract
Securing loose tools, payloads, and structural components in microgravity remains a persistent operational challenge aboard spacecraft and orbital habitats. Conventional restraint systems such as mechanical latches, hook-and-loop fasteners, and suction cups suffer from mechanical wear, particulate shedding, substrate selectivity, and functional failure in hard vacuum. Here, we present the design and theoretical evaluation of a programmable bio-adhesive patch that merges hierarchical gecko-inspired fibrillar nanostructures with electrothermally responsive liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) sub-layers for on-demand, reversible adhesion. In this system, directional asymmetric setal arrays generate strong van der Waals-mediated dry adhesion (>18 N/cm² shear strength) upon passive contact, while localized, low-voltage electrothermal stimulation (≤3 V) induces rapid microscopic pillar tilt, collapsing the effective contact area and reducing detachment force by over 92% within 150 ms. Parabolic flight simulation models and ultra-high vacuum chamber testing demonstrate robust, residue-free attachment across diverse substrates (aluminum alloys, Kapton, and silica glass) over 1,500 continuous cycles. This switchable dry-adhesion framework offers a versatile, low-power paradigm for intravehicular tool anchoring, extravehicular robotic manipulation, and orbital debris remediation.
