University of Texas at Arlington researchers have developed a technique that programs 2D materials to transform into complex 3D shapes. The goal of the work is to create synthetic materials that can mimic how living organisms expand and contract soft tissues and thus achieve complex 3D movements and functions. Programming thin sheets, or 2D materials, Read more about 2D materials capable of forming complex 3D shapes[…]
Living organisms expand and contract soft tissues to achieve complex, 3D movements and functions, but replicating those movements with man-made materials has proven challenging. A University of Texas at Arlington researcher recently published groundbreaking research in Nature Communications that shows promise in finding a solution. Kyungsuk Yum, an assistant professor in UTA’s Materials Science and Engineering Department, Read more about Hydrogels enabling the formation of complex 3D shapes and motions[…]
Researchers at the University of Sussex and Swansea University have applied electrical charges to manipulate liquid metal into 2D shapes such as letters and a heart. The team says the findings represent an “extremely promising” new class of materials that can be programmed to seamlessly change shape. This open up new possibilities in ‘soft robotics’ Read more about Scientists have invented a way to morph liquid metal into physical shapes[…]
Researchers from Finland and Taiwan have discovered how graphene, a single-atom-thin layer of carbon, can be forged into three-dimensional objects by using laser light. A striking illustration was provided when the researchers fabricated a pyramid with a height of 60 nm, which is about 200 times larger than the thickness of a graphene sheet. The Read more about Graphene forged into three-dimensional shapes[…]