By employing a combination of approaches from several disciplines the authors elucidate the principles of a variety of biomechanical systems that rely on frictional surfaces or adhesive secretions to attach parts of the body to one another or to attach organisms to a substrate. This account provides an excellent starting point for engineers and physicists working with biological systems and for biologists studying friction and adhesion. It will also serve as a valuable introduction for graduate students entering this interdisciplinary field of research.

This book is written for scientists and engineers wishing to become familiar with biological micro- and nanotribology as a new interdisciplinary field of research combining methods and knowledge of physics, chemistry, mechanics and biology. Biological micro- and nanotribology aims to gather information about friction, adhesion and wear of biological systems and to apply this new knowledge to the design of micro-electro-mechanical systems, the development of new types of monolayer lubrication, the invention of new adhesives or the construction of artificial joints. Biologists, chemists, physicists and tribologists and many other applied scientists will find this book an essential addition to their libraries. Moreover, this book also gives an introduction to the higher levels of micromechanical analysis. It will provide valuable assistance for graduate students intending to become active in interdisciplinary research.