Researchers Find Method to Make Self-Folding 3D Structures

Advertisement
By Press Trust of India | Updated: 10 January 2015 18:45 IST
Researchers Find Method to Make Self-Folding 3D Structures
Inspired by the Japanese art of origami, researchers have found a way to make reversibly self-folding three-dimensional (3D) structures.

Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst used ultraviolet photolithographic patterning of photo-crosslinkable polymers to make reversibly self-folding origami structures on small length scales.

While the Japanese art of origami has been "a rich source of inspiration" for scientists working to construct such 3D forms, the limitation to simple shapes has held up development of new applications in areas such as biomimetic systems, soft robotics and mechanical meta-materials, especially for structures on small length scales where traditional manufacturing processes fail.

Now, however, a team led by Ryan Hayward has developed an approach that could open the door to a new wave of discoveries.

"We have designed and implemented a simple approach that consists of sandwiching a thin layer of a temperature-responsive hydrogel with two patterned films of a rigid plastic," said Hayward.

Advertisement

"The presence of gaps in the plastic layers allows for folding by a controlled amount in a specified direction, enabling the formation of fairly complex origami structures," Hayward added.

The team uses a mask-less lithographic technique based on a digital micro-mirror array device to spatially pattern the cross-linking of the polymer films, and then dissolves away the uncross-linked regions with a solvent.

Advertisement

By directly patterning the polymer films, rather than using a traditional photolithographic approach based on a photoresist layer, it is possible to pattern multiple layers of polymers with widely contrasting material properties using relatively few processing steps.

In biomedicine or bioengineering, this new approach may help in developing advanced self-deploying implantable medical devices, or in guiding the growth of cells into complex tissues and organs.

Advertisement

Researchers said their data "suggest a clear pathway for future improvements" in the minimum achievable size and maximum achievable complexity of self-folded structures, "simply by using thinner films to enable tighter curvatures, along with improved lithographic methods to allow for patterning of smaller folds."

Instead of following the step-by-step actuation of folds in a controlled sequence characteristic of traditional origami, the new method relies on "collapse" designs, in which all folds are accomplished more or less simultaneously.

The research appears in the journal Advanced Materials.

 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: 3D, 3D Printing, Science
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max Alleged Geekbench Listing Leaked
  2. OnePlus 13s Sale Starts Today in India: Check Price and Offers
  3. Nothing Phone 3 to Be Manufactured in India, Company Reveals Model Number
  4. The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 OTT Release Date: When and Where to Watch Final Season Online?
  1. Hubble Finds Cosmic Dust Coating Uranus’ Moons, Not Radiation Scars
  2. New Theory Challenges Black Hole Singularities, But Critics Raise Red Flags
  3. Solar Orbiter Captures First-Ever Close-Up of Sun’s South Pole, Revealing Magnetic Field Chaos
  4. The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 OTT Release Date: When and Where to Watch Final Season Online?
  5. Mokshapatam Hindi OTT Release: Where to Watch it Online?
  6. Titan: The OceanGate Disaster Now Streaming on Netflix: What You Need to Know
  7. Stellar Blade Becomes Sony's Biggest Single-Player Steam Launch Ever a Day After PC Release
  8. Microsoft 365 Copilot Vulnerable to Zero-Click EchoLeak Exploit, Cybersecurity Researchers Say
  9. Samsung Rolls Out One UI 8 Beta 2 Update for Galaxy S25 Series in Select Countries
  10. Amazon Prime Video Now Shows Twice As Much Ads As Before: Report
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.