Sang Yul Baek
Sungkyunkwan University · Engineering
About the Lab
Professor Sang Yul Baek's research lab specializes in bioinspired adhesion and soft robotics, focusing on developing advanced, biocompatible adhesive systems that mimic natural structures found in octopuses, tree frogs, and diving beetles. The lab pioneers smart, switchable, and sensory-integrated adhesive devices for wearable electronics, medical diagnostics, and minimally invasive therapies, emphasizing robust performance on wet, rough, or dynamic biological surfaces. Key research directions include hierarchical micro/nano-architectures, in situ skin interfacing, and stimuli-responsive adhesion mechanisms for real-time health monitoring and therapeutic applications.
Research Overview
Research Output Trend
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Selected Papers
15The attachment phenomena of various hierarchical architectures found in nature have extensively drawn attention for developing highly biocompatible adhesive on skin or wet inner organs without any chemical glue. Structural adhesive systems have become important to address the issues of human-machine interactions by smart outer/inner organ-attachable devices for diagnosis and therapy. Here, advances in designs of biologically inspired adhesive architectures are reviewed in terms of distinct struc
Abstract Amphibian adhesion systems can enhance adhesion forces on wet or rough surfaces via hexagonal architectures, enabling omnidirectional peel resistance and drainage against wet and rough surfaces, often under flowing water. In addition, an octopus has versatile suction cups with convex cup structures located inside the suction chambers for strong adhesion in various dry and wet conditions. Highly air‐permeable, water‐drainable, and reusable skin patches with enhanced pulling adhesion and
Abstract High adhesion and water resistance on skin surfaces are highly demanded properties for wearable and skin‐attachable electronics in various medical applications. Here, stretchable electronics with octopus‐like patterns (OPs) imprinted on a carbon‐based conductive polymer composite (CPC) film are presented. The bioinspired conductive suckers with dome‐like architectures are successfully exploited to sustain weight (500 g) in underwater, wherein this performance is known to be challenging.
Abstract Adhesion capabilities of various skin architectures found in nature can generate remarkable physical interactions with their engaged surfaces. Among them, octopus suckers have unique hierarchical structures for reversible adhesion in dry and wet conditions. Here, highly adaptable, biocompatible, and repeatable adhesive patches with unfoldable, 3D microtips in micropillars inspired by the rim and infundibulum of octopus suction cup are presented. The bioinspired synthetic adhesives are f
The development of bioinspired switchable adhesive systems has promising solutions in various industrial/medical applications. Switchable and perceptive adhesion regardless of the shape or surface shape of the object is still challenging in dry and aquatic surroundings. We developed an electronic sensory soft adhesive device that recapitulates the attaching, mechanosensory, and decision-making capabilities of a soft adhesion actuator. The soft adhesion actuator of an artificial octopus sucker ma
Recent advances in bioinspired nano/microstructures have received attention as promising approaches with which to implement smart skin-interfacial devices for personalized health care. In situ skin diagnosis requires adaptable skin adherence and rapid capture of clinical biofluids. Here, we report a simple, all-in-one device consisting of microplungers and hydrogels that can rapidly capture biofluids and conformally attach to skin for stable, real-time monitoring of health. Inspired by the male
Mimicking the attachment of octopus suction cups has become appealing for the development of skin/organ adhesive patches capable of strong, reversible adhesion in dry and wet conditions. However, achieving high conformity against the three-dimensionally (3D) rough and curved surfaces of the human body remains an enduring challenge for further medical applications of wound protection, diagnosis, or therapeutics. Here, an adhesive patch inspired by the soft wrinkles of miniaturized 3D octopus suct
Recent studies on soft adhesives have sought to deeply understand how their chemical or mechanical structures interact strongly with living tissues. The aim is to optimally address the unmet needs of patients with acute or chronic diseases. Synergistic adhesion involving both electrostatic (hydrogen bonds) and mechanical interactions (capillarity-assisted suction stress) seems to be effective in overcoming the challenges associated with long-term unstable coupling to tissues. Here, an electrosta
Abstract Integrated bioelectronics with conformal adhesion interfaces on dry/wet biosurfaces and water‐repellent stretchable electric elements are in high demand for reliable real‐time diagnostics of the dynamic human body. Here, the authors present a diving beetle‐inspired electro‐adhesive patch with mechanically robust nanowire‐implanted conductive multiscale architectures that provides a skin‐adaptable, isotropically stretchable interface for a multiple‐biosignal monitoring device. Using a fa
The development of an electronic skin patch that can be used in underwater environments can be considered essential for fabricating long-term wearable devices and biomedical applications. Herein, we report a stretchable conductive polymer composite (CPC) patch on which an octopus sucker-inspired structure is formed to conformally contact with biological skin that may be rough and wet. The patch is patterned with a hexagonal mesh structure for water and air permeability. The patch films are suite
Nanoscale architectures found in nature have unique functionalities and their discovery has led to significant advancements in various fields including optics, wetting, and adhesion. The sensilla of arthropods, comprised of unique hierarchical structures, are a representative example which inspired the development of various bioinspired systems, owing to their hypersensitive and ultrafast responsivity to mechanical and chemical stimuli. This report presents a geometry‐switchable and highly H 2 ‐
Abstract In various organisms in nature, the energy‐dissipation layers within their adhesive systems are known to play a significant role in enhancement of adhesion performance in pulling and peeling directions. Reported here is that the pedal‐muscle structures of snails can be exploited to form a repeatable, microstructure‐embedded adhesive, enabling enhanced adhesion in both pulling (13 N cm −2 ) and peeling (20 J m −2 ) directions with excellent repeatability (<1000 cycles). The measured a
For highly conformable and universal transport devices, bioinspired dry adhesion systems with reversible molecular attractions (e.g., van der Waals forces, capillarity, or suction stress) between the engaged surfaces have recently become favorable for various dry/wet processes in flexible devices and medical applications. In addition, many efforts have been made for switchable attachments of such adhesives by employing costly sophisticated systems such as mechanically deformable chucks, UV-radia
Research Areas
Dive deeper into Sang Yul Baek's research on Nubint
Open this lab's papers in the app to read with AI, summarize, and cite in your writing.