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Morphable 3D mesostructures and microelectronic devices by multistable buckling mechanics

Nature Materials volume 17, pages 268–276 (2018)Cite this article

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Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) structures capable of reversible transformations in their geometrical layouts have important applications across a broad range of areas. Most morphable 3D systems rely on concepts inspired by origami/kirigami or techniques of 3D printing with responsive materials. The development of schemes that can simultaneously apply across a wide range of size scales and with classes of advanced materials found in state-of-the-art microsystem technologies remains challenging. Here, we introduce a set of concepts for morphable 3D mesostructures in diverse materials and fully formed planar devices spanning length scales from micrometres to millimetres. The approaches rely on elastomer platforms deformed in different time sequences to elastically alter the 3D geometries of supported mesostructures via nonlinear mechanical buckling. Over 20 examples have been experimentally and theoretically investigated, including mesostructures that can be reshaped between different geometries as well as those that can morph into three or more distinct states. An adaptive radiofrequency circuit and a concealable electromagnetic device provide examples of functionally reconfigurable microelectronic devices.

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Fig. 1: Morphable 3D mesostructures, integrated circuits and optoelectronic devices by loading-path controlled mechanical assembly.
Fig. 2: Probabilistic energy analysis and design rationale for morphable 3D mesostructures.
Fig. 3: A broad set of 3D mesostructures morphable by loading path strategies.
Fig. 4: Morphable 3D mesostructures with multiple (≥3) stable states accessed through complex paths of sequential release.
Fig. 5: Applications of 3D morphable mesostructures as switchable radiofrequency (RF) electronic components.

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Acknowledgements

J.A.R. and X.L. acknowledge support from the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences (DE-FG02-07ER46471). Y.Z. acknowledges support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (11672152), the National Basic Research Program of China (2015CB351900), the Thousand Young Talents Program of China and the Tsinghua National Laboratory for Information Science and Technology. Y.H. acknowledges the support from the NSF (CMMI1300846, CMMI1400169 and CMMI1534120) and the NIH (R01EB019337). J.W.L. acknowledges support from National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2017M3A7B4049466). K.N. acknowledges the support from the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory Central Research Facilities, University of Illinois, where the majority of the experimental work was carried out.

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Author notes

  1. Haoran Fu and Kewang Nan contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Mechanics and Materials; Center for Flexible Electronics Technology; AML, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

    Haoran Fu, Ke Bai, Fei Liu, Xu Cheng, Yuan Liu & Yihui Zhang

  2. Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA

    Kewang Nan, Chaoqun Zhou, Yunpeng Liu, Juntong Wang, Yijie Zhang, Yutong Zhang & Jianing Zhao

  3. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Wubin Bai & Luyao Lu

  4. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I2CNER), University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA

    Wen Huang, Moyang Li & Xiuling Li

  5. National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Micro/Nano Fabrication, Peking University, Beijing, China

    Mengdi Han

  6. Department of Chemical Engineering and Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

    Zheng Yan

  7. Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Haiwen Luan & Yonggang Huang

  8. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea

    Jung Woo Lee

  9. Institute of Advanced Structure Technology; Beijing Key Laboratory of Lightweight Multi-functional Composite Materials and Structures, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China

    Daining Fang

  10. Departments of Materials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Neurological Surgery, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Center for Bio-Integrated Electronics; and Simpson Querrey Institute for BioNanotechnology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    John A. Rogers

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  1. Haoran Fu
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Contributions

J.A.R., Yihui Z. and Y.H. designed and supervised the research; Yihui Z. and H.F. led the structural designs, mechanics modelling, electromagnetic modelling, and design of conceivable electromagnetic device, with assistance from K.B., F.L., Y.L., D.F. and Y.H.; H.F. led the submillimetre-scale experimental work, with assistance from K.B. and X.C.; K.N. led the micro-fabrication work, with assistance from W.B., C.Z., J.W, Y.L., M.H., Z.Y., H.L., Yijie Z., Yutong Z., J.Z. and J.W.L.; W.H., K.N. and W.B. led the design and experimental characterizations of 3D radiofrequency demonstrations, with assistance from M.L. and X.L.; K.N., H.F. and L.L. led the design and experimental realizations of 3D active device demonstrations, with assistance from W.B., C.Z., Y.L. and J.Z.; H.F., K.N., W.B., Y.H., Yihui Z., and J.A.R. wrote the text and designed the figures. All authors commented on the paper.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yonggang Huang, Yihui Zhang or John A. Rogers.

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Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Supplementary Notes 1–4; Supplementary Figures 1–25

Videos

Supplementary Video 1

A morphable mesostructure that can be reconfigured between an ‘octopus’ and a ‘spider’.

Supplementary Video 2

A morphable mesostructure that can be reconfigured among four stable shapes.

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Fu, H., Nan, K., Bai, W. et al. Morphable 3D mesostructures and microelectronic devices by multistable buckling mechanics. Nature Mater 17, 268–276 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-017-0011-3

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