Question: The gecko is a reptile that has the amazing ability to climb smooth surfaces – even glass. Recent discoveries indicate that geckos stick to smooth surfaces via van der Waals interactions between septae on their feet and the smooth surface. When not selling car insurance, geckos climb smooth surfaces.
(a) How is this method of stickiness advantageous to the gecko over covalent interactions?
(b) Given that van der Waals forces are among the weakest molecular interactions, how can the gecko’s feet stick so effectively?