Surface tension driven self-folding polyhedra

COLL 213

Timothy Leong, innovato@gmail.com1, Paul A. Lester, plester1@jhu.edu1, and David H. Gracias, dgracias@jhu.edu2. (1) Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, (2) Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Department of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N Charles Street, 125 Maryland Hall, Baltimore, MD 21218
We discuss finite element simulations and experiments involving the surface tension driven self-folding of patterned polyhedra. Two dimensional (2D) photolithographically patterned templates folded spontaneously when solder hinges between adjacent faces were liquefied. Minimization of interfacial free energy of the molten solder with the surrounding fluidic medium caused the solder to ball up, resulting in a force that rotated adjacent faces and drove folding. The simulations indicate that the folding process can be precisely controlled, has fault tolerance, and can be used to fold polyhedra composed of a variety of materials, ranging in size from the mm scale down to the nm scale. Experimentally, we have folded metallic, arbitrarily patterned polyhedra ranging in size from 2 mm to 15 microns.
 

Fundamental Research in Colloid and Surface Chemistry
6:00 PM-8:00 PM, Monday, August 20, 2007 BCEC -- East Registration, Poster

Division of Colloid & Surface Chemistry

The 234th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, August 19-23, 2007