Related papers: Smart patterned surfaces with programmable thermal…
Evolution in time-varying environments naturally leads to adaptable biological systems that can easily switch functionalities. Advances in the synthesis of environmentally-responsive materials therefore open up the possibility of creating a…
Over the past decade, it has become clear that the radiative response to surface temperature change depends on the spatially varying structure in the temperature field, a phenomenon known as the "pattern effect''. The pattern effect is…
The mechanical behaviors of polycrystalline solids are determined by the interplay between phenomena governed by two different thermodynamic temperatures: the configurational effective temperature that controls the density of dislocations,…
Stimuli-responsive liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) with a strong coupling of orientational molecular order and rubber-like elasticity, show a great potential as working elements in soft robotics, sensing, transport and propulsion systems.…
Patterns on curved surfaces are ubiquitous, yet the influence of surface geometry on pattern dynamics remains elusive. We recently reported a new mechanism of pattern propagation in which a static pattern on a flat plane becomes a…
Controlled activity of active entities interacting with a passive environment can generate emergent system-level phenomena, positioning such systems as promising platforms for potential downstream applications in targeted drug delivery,…
Surface-driven flows are ubiquitous in nature, from subcellular cytoplasmic streaming to organ-scale ciliary arrays. Here, we model how confined geometries can be used to engineer complex hydrodynamic patterns driven by activity prescribed…
We describe opportunities and challenges with wireless robotic materials. Robotic materials are multi-functional composites that tightly integrate sensing, actuation, computation and communication to create smart composites that can sense…
Programmable, intelligent surfaces can manipulate electromagnetic waves impinging upon them, producing arbitrarily shaped reflection, refraction and diffraction, to the benefit of wireless users. Moreover, in their recent form of…
It is difficult for free space optical communication to be applied in mobile communication due to the obstruction of obstacles in the environment, which is expected to be solved by reconfigurable intelligent surface technology. The…
One of the main applications of electromagnetic metasurfaces (MSs) is to tailor spatial field distributions. The radiation pattern of a given source can be desirably modified upon reflection on an MS having proper spatial modulation of its…
The flexible profile approach proposed earlier to create CTM (compact or reduced order thermal models) is extended to cover the area of conjugate heat transfer. The flexible profile approach is a methodology that allows building a highly…
Patterned two-dimensional (2D) magnetic nanostructures constitute geometry-engineered spin systems in which exchange, anisotropy, dipolar coupling, and finite-size effects operate on comparable energy scales. Spatial modulation of…
The fabrication of versatile building blocks that are reliably self-assemble into desired ordered and disordered phases is amongst the hottest topics in contemporary material science. To this end, microscopic units of varying complexity,…
Energetic particle irradiation of solids can cause surface ultra-smoothening, self-organized nanoscale pattern formation, or degradation of the structural integrity of nuclear reactor components. Periodic patterns including high-aspect…
We use inverse methods of statistical mechanics to explore trade-offs associated with designing interactions to stabilize self-assembled structures against changes in density or temperature. Specifically, we find isotropic,convex-repulsive…
We give a general design method for finding the passive, reciprocal surface impedance tensor required to enact any wave transformation. We do this through characterising the surface in terms of a tensorial surface impedance, showing that a…
Active matter constantly dissipates energy to power the self-propulsion of its microscopic constituents. This opens the door to designing innovative cyclic engines without any equilibrium equivalent. We offer a consistent thermodynamic…
Active matter physics and swarm robotics have provided powerful tools for the study and control of ensembles driven by internal sources. At the macroscale, controlling swarms typically utilizes significant memory, processing power, and…
The rapid design and fabrication of soft robotic matter is of growing interest for shape morphing, actuation, and wearable devices. Here, we report a facile fabrication method for creating soft robotic materials with embedded pneumatics…