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Published on 13 Apr 2007 at 12:18 am.
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Filed under Inventions, Nanoscience, Research.
New Scientist Tech reports that José Bico and his team at the École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles (ESPCI), in Paris, in collaboration with a group from the Paris Institute of Technology have demonstrated that water droplets can be used to fold millimeter scale plastic sheets into complex shapes.
The plastic is cut into specific shapes that can be folded into pyramids, cubes of other complex shapes. A water droplet placed on the plastic attracts the plastic sheet to the droplet. As the water evaporates, the volume of the droplet decreases, while the surface area of the plastic is constrained to be constant. The result is that the plastic folds itself into a shape that minimizes its volume for the given surface area.
The researchers believe that this may be an effective means to mass produce microscopic parts.
Kevin Knuth
Albany NY
