Cape Western Reserve University working at the Dayton Air Force Research Laboratory in partnership with Chinese scholars has developed a new dry adhesive inspired by the tiny hairs on gecko’s feet that allow them to cling to improbable surfaces. The adhesive bonds even more strongly at temperatures as high as 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature of molten silver, and still retains its properties when temperatures plummet as low as -320 degrees or the temperature of liquid nitrogen. The adhesive comes in the form of a dry adhesive tape based on vertical carbon nanotubes, and is the only adhesive to work at such great temperature extremes. The nanotubes penetrate microscopic substrate cavities. Cold doesn’t alter the substrate’s surface structure, and heat makes the surface even rougher, allowing the nanotubes to bond even more strongly to the substrate. At room temperature, the tape’s adhesion is comparable to that of regular adhesive tapes, but it maintains the same bond strength at extremely low temperatures, and bonds twice as strongly to substrates at 785 degrees Fahrenheit. The researchers say they envision the electrical and heat conducting adhesive being used in applications ranging from space exploration technology to household appliances and electronics.