Abstract
Capillary origami is the wrapping of a usual fluid drop by a planar elastic membrane due to the interplay between capillary and elastic forces. Here, we use a drop of magnetic fluid whose shape is known to strongly depend on an applied magnetic field. We study the quasistatic and dynamical behaviors of such a magnetic capillary origami. We report the observation of an overturning instability that the origami undergoes at a critical magnetic field. This instability is triggered by an interplay between magnetic and gravitational energies in agreement with the theory presented here. Additional effects of elasticity and capillarity on this instability are also discussed.
- Received 21 July 2011
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.204503
© 2011 American Physical Society
Focus
Magnetic Field Flips Miniature Origami
Published 11 November 2011
An improved version of a technique for folding tiny objects from a thin membrane uses a magnetic field to affect the shape. The membrane wraps around a droplet of fluid that distorts in response to the field.
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