Mechanically Guided Assembly of Bio-Inspired 3D Mesoscale Frameworks

Complex, three dimensional (3D) assemblies of micro/nanomaterials form naturally in biological systems, where they provide sophisticated function in even the most basic forms of life. In spite of their potential utility in man-made devices, design options for analogous abiotic 3D mesostructures are severely constrained by the comparatively primitive capabilities that are available with established techniques for materials growth, assembly and 3D printing. This talk summarizes progress in strategies that rely on geometric transformation of preformed 2D functional micro/nanostructures into 3D architectures by controlled processes of actively induced compressive buckling. The emphasis will be on the foundational physics principles, computational approaches that enable inverse design, and examples of applications in areas ranging from thermoelectrics to microelectromechanical systems to biologically inspired open mesoscale networks as active cellular interfaces.