Capillarity-induced folds fuel extreme shape changes in thin wicked membranes

Soft deformable materials are needed for applications such as stretchable electronics, smart textiles, or soft biomedical devices. However, the design of a durable, cost-effective, or biologically compatible version of such a material remains challenging. Living animal cells routinely cope with extr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2018-04, Vol.360 (6386), p.296-299
Main Authors: Grandgeorge, Paul, Krins, Natacha, Hourlier-Fargette, Aurélie, Laberty-Robert, Christel, Neukirch, Sébastien, Antkowiak, Arnaud
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antennae
Biological effects
Biomedical materials
Block copolymers
Breakage
Capillarity
Chemical Sciences
Circuits
Cytology
Deformation
Electronic circuits
Formability
Membranes
Physics
Reservoirs
Scientific Concepts
Smart materials
Textiles
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Summary:Soft deformable materials are needed for applications such as stretchable electronics, smart textiles, or soft biomedical devices. However, the design of a durable, cost-effective, or biologically compatible version of such a material remains challenging. Living animal cells routinely cope with extreme deformations by unfolding preformed membrane reservoirs available in the form of microvilli or membrane folds. We synthetically mimicked this behavior by creating nanofibrous liquid-infused tissues that spontaneously form similar reservoirs through capillarity-induced folding. By understanding the physics of membrane buckling within the liquid film, we developed proof-of-concept conformable chemical surface treatments and stretchable basic electronic circuits.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.aaq0677