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Title: Liquid-induced topological transformations of cellular microstructures

Abstract

The fundamental topology of cellular structures—the location, number and connectivity of nodes and compartments—can profoundly affect their acoustic, electrical5, chemical, mechanical and optical properties, as well as heat, fluid and particle transport. Approaches that harness swelling, electromagnetic actuation and mechanical instabilities in cellular materials have enabled a variety of interesting wall deformations and compartment shape alterations, but the resulting structures generally preserve the defining connectivity features of the initial topology. Achieving topological transformation presents a distinct challenge for existing strategies: it requires complex reorganization, repacking, and coordinated bending, stretching and folding, particularly around each node, where elastic resistance is highest owing to connectivity. Here we introduce a two-tiered dynamic strategy that achieves systematic reversible transformations of the fundamental topology of cellular microstructures, which can be applied to a wide range of materials and geometries. Our approach requires only exposing the structure to a selected liquid that is able to first infiltrate and plasticize the material at the molecular scale, and then, upon evaporation, form a network of localized capillary forces at the architectural scale that ‘zip’ the edges of the softened lattice into a new topological structure, which subsequently restiffens and remains kinetically trapped. Reversibility is induced by applying amore » mixture of liquids that act separately at the molecular and architectural scales (thus offering modular temporal control over the softening–evaporation–stiffening sequence) to restore the original topology or provide access to intermediate modes. Guided by a generalized theoretical model that connects cellular geometries, material stiffness and capillary forces, we demonstrate programmed reversible topological transformations of various lattice geometries and responsive materials that undergo fast global or localized deformations. In conclusion, we then harness dynamic topologies to develop active surfaces with information encryption, selective particle trapping and bubble release, as well as tunable mechanical, chemical and acoustic properties.« less

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
OSTI Identifier:
1778017
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0005247
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Nature (London)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: Nature (London); Journal Volume: 592; Journal Issue: 7854; Journal ID: ISSN 0028-0836
Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
42 ENGINEERING; Mechanical engineering; Polymers; Self-assembly; Structural materials

Citation Formats

Li, Shucong, Deng, Bolei, Grinthal, Alison, Schneider-Yamamura, Alyssha, Kang, Jinliang, Martens, Reese S., Zhang, Cathy T., Li, Jian, Yu, Siqin, Bertoldi, Katia, and Aizenberg, Joanna. Liquid-induced topological transformations of cellular microstructures. United States: N. p., 2021. Web. doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03404-7.
Li, Shucong, Deng, Bolei, Grinthal, Alison, Schneider-Yamamura, Alyssha, Kang, Jinliang, Martens, Reese S., Zhang, Cathy T., Li, Jian, Yu, Siqin, Bertoldi, Katia, & Aizenberg, Joanna. Liquid-induced topological transformations of cellular microstructures. United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03404-7
Li, Shucong, Deng, Bolei, Grinthal, Alison, Schneider-Yamamura, Alyssha, Kang, Jinliang, Martens, Reese S., Zhang, Cathy T., Li, Jian, Yu, Siqin, Bertoldi, Katia, and Aizenberg, Joanna. Wed . "Liquid-induced topological transformations of cellular microstructures". United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03404-7. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1778017.
@article{osti_1778017,
title = {Liquid-induced topological transformations of cellular microstructures},
author = {Li, Shucong and Deng, Bolei and Grinthal, Alison and Schneider-Yamamura, Alyssha and Kang, Jinliang and Martens, Reese S. and Zhang, Cathy T. and Li, Jian and Yu, Siqin and Bertoldi, Katia and Aizenberg, Joanna},
abstractNote = {The fundamental topology of cellular structures—the location, number and connectivity of nodes and compartments—can profoundly affect their acoustic, electrical5, chemical, mechanical and optical properties, as well as heat, fluid and particle transport. Approaches that harness swelling, electromagnetic actuation and mechanical instabilities in cellular materials have enabled a variety of interesting wall deformations and compartment shape alterations, but the resulting structures generally preserve the defining connectivity features of the initial topology. Achieving topological transformation presents a distinct challenge for existing strategies: it requires complex reorganization, repacking, and coordinated bending, stretching and folding, particularly around each node, where elastic resistance is highest owing to connectivity. Here we introduce a two-tiered dynamic strategy that achieves systematic reversible transformations of the fundamental topology of cellular microstructures, which can be applied to a wide range of materials and geometries. Our approach requires only exposing the structure to a selected liquid that is able to first infiltrate and plasticize the material at the molecular scale, and then, upon evaporation, form a network of localized capillary forces at the architectural scale that ‘zip’ the edges of the softened lattice into a new topological structure, which subsequently restiffens and remains kinetically trapped. Reversibility is induced by applying a mixture of liquids that act separately at the molecular and architectural scales (thus offering modular temporal control over the softening–evaporation–stiffening sequence) to restore the original topology or provide access to intermediate modes. Guided by a generalized theoretical model that connects cellular geometries, material stiffness and capillary forces, we demonstrate programmed reversible topological transformations of various lattice geometries and responsive materials that undergo fast global or localized deformations. In conclusion, we then harness dynamic topologies to develop active surfaces with information encryption, selective particle trapping and bubble release, as well as tunable mechanical, chemical and acoustic properties.},
doi = {10.1038/s41586-021-03404-7},
journal = {Nature (London)},
number = 7854,
volume = 592,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Apr 14 00:00:00 EDT 2021},
month = {Wed Apr 14 00:00:00 EDT 2021}
}

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