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Updated: Jul 29, 2026

Origami Inspired Self-assembly of Patterned and Reconfigurable Particles
Published on: February 4, 2013
Magnetic self-assembly of three-dimensional surfaces from planar sheets
Mila Boncheva1, Stefan A Andreev, L Mahadevan
1Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Abstract:
This report describes the spontaneous folding of flat elastomeric sheets, patterned with magnetic dipoles, into free-standing, 3D objects that are the topological equivalents of spherical shells. The path of the self-assembly is determined by a competition between mechanical and magnetic interactions. The potential of this strategy for the fabrication of 3D electronic devices is demonstrated by generating a simple electrical circuit surrounding a spherical cavity.

