Braiding, twisting, and weaving microscale fibers using capillary forces

Materials that consist of braided or woven fibers have properties that make them useful across a wide range of applications. These properties are influenced by the diameter of the fibers as well as the topology of the braids or weaves they form. In this talk, we will discuss how to braid microscale fibers into specific topologies using 3D-printed machines that harness capillary forces [1]. The machines can manipulate microscale fibers into many different topologies, including braids, twists, and weaves. We will show how the topology of the material is controlled by the pattern of vertical motion of the machine and why capillary forces are a useful means to manipulate micrometer-scale fibers.

Funding: NSF through the Harvard University Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, grant DMR-2011754

References:

[1] Zeng, C., Faaborg, M.W., Sherif, A., Falk, M.J., Hajian, R., Xiao, M., Hartig, K., Bar-Sinai, Y., Brenner, M.P., Manoharan, V.N. 3D-printed machines that manipulate microscopic objects using capillary forces. Nature (2022)