Electroadhesive systems are promising for creating delicate robotic manipulators operating both in the natural environment and in space conditions. Using thermosetting epoxy resin, polyurethane and polyester resin as examples, the influence of the polymers’ natures, potential differences and current strengths on electroadhesive interactions in polymer–polymer systems was studied. The investigations were carried out by recording the force of normal separation of substrates from electroadhesives using contact and contactless methods at various electrical parameters of the systems and their components. A correlation was established between the relative permittivity and the electroadhesive force. The relaxation nature of the electroadhesion phenomenon after removing the electrical voltage was revealed. The influence of the potential difference and current strength on the effect of electroadhesion for polymer substrates of various natures was established. The obtained dependencies describe the main regularities of electroadhesive interactions necessary for creating promising electroadhesive materials.

The aim of the study is to investigate the influence of the physicochemical characteristics of the molecular and supramolecular structure of polymers on electroadhesive interactions and their change under the action of a constant electric field. Currently, this effect is modeled in electroadhesion studies, but the range of variable parameters is limited and includes permittivity, moisture content, and surface roughness. It is important to consider other physicochemical parameters, such as material crystallinity and surface characteristics, changes in which can affect the magnitude of electroadhesive forces. In this study, the electric field strength was varied by altering the constant voltage in the range of 3–8 kV. Polyethylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, and polyvinyl acetate were used as substrates for adhesive systems. The influence of the concentration of vinyl acetate groups, which determine the energy characteristics of the surface, and the degree of crystallinity on electroadhesive interactions under conditions of an external constant electric field and without it was traced. The degree of crystallinity was varied both by the cooling rate and the orientation during drawing. It was shown that by changing the polar component of the surface energy and the proportion of the crystalline phase in the substrate, electroadhesive interactions can be increased by 4 times to 120 Pa compared to polyethylene. The obtained laws are explained by the local dipoles induced by polar functional groups, which enhance the polymer’s surface interactions with other materials and external fields. At the same time, the fixation of macromolecules in crystalline regions complicates polarization under the influence of an electric field.

This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the current state of electroadhesion research and the development of electroadhesive systems. Over one hundred scientific references were analyzed, covering the theoretical frameworks and modeling of electroadhesion, electroadhesive manufacturing technologies, factors influencing electroadhesive interactions, and the development prospects and applications of electroadhesion. The necessity for a detailed molecular-level investigation into polymer structures is substantiated to improve the accuracy of engineering forecasting and the integration of this technology in robotics, medicine, and autonomous systems based on triboelectric nanogenerators.