Magnetic Hand-Shake Materials
Abstract
Learning to build smart, digital, and mechanically functional objects at the micro and nano scales could be as revolutionary as human-scale manufacturing. Magnetic handshake materials is a new way of meeting this challenging goal. Magnetic handshake materials are a scale invariant platform that combine two technologies: modern magnetic information storage, which can create tiny magnets in any pattern desired, and ultrathin flexible materials that can bend in response to tiny forces. These elements are combined with the design principles of colloidal systems, polymer physics, and molecular biology to create intelligent, functional objects, machines, and materials. The building blocks interaction is analogous to DNA bases binding together, with magnets playing the role of the base pairs, and the thin materials playing the role of the DNA backbone. The magnetic information determines how multiple strands connect and form complex structures and micron sized machines that can be controlled with external magnetic fields. Ultimately, this magnetic encoding of assembly instructions into primary structures of panels, strands, and nets will lead to the design and formation of secondary and even tertiary structures that transmit information, act as mechanical elements, or function as machines on scales ranging from the nano to the macro.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 14, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1109708
Entities
People
- Itai Cohen
Organizations
- Cornell University