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Orthogonally assembled double-layered corrugated (OADLC) mechanisms are a class of foldable structures that harness origami-inspired methods to enhance the structural stiffness of resulting devices; these mechanisms have extensive…
Advances in manufacturing techniques may now realize virtually any imaginable microstructures, paving the way for architected materials with properties beyond those found in nature. This has lead to a quest for closing gaps in…
We introduce an elastic-driven self-folding approach that fabricates robots directly from flat 3D-printed conductive PLA nets. Elastic bands routed through printed hooks store energy that folds the sheet into programmed 3D geometries, while…
Basket weaving is a traditional craft used to create practical three-dimensional (3D) structures. While the geometry and aesthetics of baskets have received considerable attention, the underlying mechanics and modern engineering potential…
The relaxation of atomic positions to their optimal structural arrangement is crucial for understanding the emergence of new physical behavior in long scale superstructures in twisted bilayers of two-dimensional materials. The amount of…
4D printing empowers 3D printed structures made of hydrogels, liquid crystals or shape memory polymers, with reversible morphing capabilities in response to an external stimulus. To apply reversible shape-change to stiff lightweight…
Mechanical metamaterials can be designed to exhibit unique mechanical properties, including tunable auxetic behavior as well as multi-stability, which arise from the geometry and configuration of the constituent building blocks.…
Enhancing superconductivity through material design is a central goal in quantum materials research. Moire engineering, where twisting stacked layers creates long-wavelength modulations and flat bands, has shown how electronic correlations…
To study the compressional forces exerted by a bundle of living stiff filaments pressing on a surface, akin to the case of an actin bundle in filopodia structures, we have performed particulate Molecular Dynamics simulations of a grafted…
The physics of membranes, a classic subject, acquires new momentum from two-dimensional (2D) materials multilayers. This work reports the surprising results emerged during a theoretical study of equilibrium geometry of bilayers as…
Soft deployable structures - unlike conventional piecewise rigid deployables based on hinges and springs - can assume intricate 3-D shapes, thereby enabling transformative technologies in soft robotics, shape-morphing architecture, and…
Two-dimensional (2D) origami tessellations such as the Miura-ori are often generalized to build three-dimensional (3D) architected materials with sandwich or cellular structures. However, such 3D blocks are densely packed with continuity of…
Wrinkling, creasing and folding are frequent phenomena encountered in biological and man-made bilayers made by thin films bonded to thicker and softer substrates often containing fibers. Paradigmatic examples of the latter are the skin, the…
Four-dimensional (4D) printing, a new technology emerged from additive manufacturing (3D printing), is widely known for its capability of programming post-fabrication shape-changing into artifacts. Fused deposition modeling (FDM)-based 4D…
Preserving the superior mechanical properties of monolayer two-dimensional (2D) materials when transitioning to bilayer and layer-stacked structures poses a great challenge, primarily arising from the weak van der Waals (vdW) forces that…
Soft grippers have excellent adaptability for a variety of objects and tasks. Jamming-based variable stiffness materials can further increase soft grippers' gripping force and capacity. Previous universal grippers enabled by granular…
High-aspect-ratio polymer materials are widely utilized in applications ranging from everyday materials such as clothing to specialized equipment in industrial and medical fields. Traditional fabrication methods, such as extrusion and…
In the manufacturing process of a filler-reinforced composite, the fillers in the matrix are aligned due to the shear flow occurring during the drawing stage, and the interface between the matrix and the fillers form various imperfections…
Mechanical metamaterials have continued to offer unprecedented tunability in mechanical properties, but most designs to date have prioritized attaining high stiffness and strength while sacrificing deformability. The emergence of woven…
The design of specified nonlinear mechanical responses into a structure or material is a highly sought after capability, which would have a significant impact in areas such as wave tailoring in metamaterials, impact mitigation, soft…