In analogy with the "Velcro"^TM fastening system, we postulate the possibility to establish very strong bonds connecting two surfaces covered by curved nanotubes with pentagon-heptagon defect pairs. The nanotubes may be permanently rooted (or anchored) in materials ranging from metals to diamond and form permanent, extremely strong yet self-repairing bonds between them, once mating elements (hooks, loops, spirals) from the two surfaces are engaged.

We have studied the mechanical and thermal stability of an individual "Nano-Velcro" bond using molecular dynamics simulations based on the parametrized Linear Combination of Atomic Orbitals (LCAO) formalism and the Tersoff potential. Our results indicate that the force needed to open an assembly of two "hooks", each consisting of a (7,0) nanotube terminated by a half-torus, is very large.

Results visualizing the forceful opening of the double-hook assembly indicate that the hooks are very resilient and not altered during this process. This fact, together with the high tensile strength of individual nanotubes and the stability of nanotube-substrate bonds, suggests that this method of bonding bears high promise as a strong, self-repairing, heat resistant micro-fastening system for the next generation of nano-robots and nanometer-scale mechanical and electronic components.