Measuring Adhesion Force of a Cell Sheet by the Ninety-degree Peel Test Using a Multi Hook Type Fixture

Abstract

In this study, we report measurements of the adhesion force of a cell sheet made by applying the ninety-degree peel test. The ninety-degree peel test has been applied to general sheet materials and its procedure is defined by the International Standard Organization (ISO). Only a few studies have been able to measure adhesion force of fragile cell sheets because the sheets are easily broken and cannot be fixed to the conventional fixtures of test systems. Additionally, there are no ninety-degree peel test systems which can measure weak forces such as adhesion force of cell sheets. Therefore, we developed a new fixture to hold the sheet in place during measurements of the adhesion force and we also developed a special test system. Our novel fixture is a multi hook type fixture which allows cell sheets to be fixed to the test system without breaking. We successfully measured adhesion force of a cell sheet.