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Capillarity in Fluid

Capillarity in Fluid

Capillarity describes the movement of liquid in small spaces without external forces acting on it. The capillarity is driven by surface tension and adhesive interactions between the liquid and surrounding solid surfaces. This effect is often seen in narrow tubes, porous materials, and fine particles.
Surface tension is crucial to capillarity. It results from cohesive forces between liquid molecules at the liquid-air boundary, forming a skin that resists external forces. When the capillary tube...

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Updated: May 6, 2026

Micro 3D Printing Using a Digital Projector and its Application in the Study of Soft Materials Mechanics

Micro 3D Printing Using a Digital Projector and its Application in the Study of Soft Materials Mechanics

Published on: November 27, 2012

3D-printed machines that manipulate microscopic objects using capillary forces.

Cheng Zeng¹, Maya Winters Faaborg¹, Ahmed Sherif¹

¹Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.

|October 26, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed novel capillary machines that use dynamic capillary forces to precisely move and assemble microscopic objects in programmable 2D patterns. This breakthrough enables the creation of complex structures like non-repeating braids from fine filaments.

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Area of Science:

Soft Matter Physics
Micro-robotics
Materials Science

Background:

Capillary forces are crucial for assembling objects at liquid interfaces, but assembled structures are typically static.
Existing micromanipulation techniques are often complex, costly, or limited in programmability.

Purpose of the Study:

To dynamically modulate capillary forces for programmable two-dimensional movement of floating objects.
To develop a novel class of 'capillary machines' that convert vertical motion into programmable lateral object manipulation.
To demonstrate the assembly of complex microstructures using these machines.

Main Methods:

3D-printed devices with height-varying channels were used to trap and guide floating objects via repulsive capillary forces.
Vertical movement of the devices in a water bath steered trapped microscopic objects in two dimensions.
Elementary capillary machines were combined to create centimeter-scale compound machines for braiding filaments.

Main Results:

Demonstrated programmable translation, rotation, and separation of multiple floating objects.
Showcased the ability to perform work on submerged objects through cyclic vertical motion.
Successfully braided microscopic filaments into prescribed, including non-repeating, topologies.

Conclusions:

Capillary machines offer a distinct, meniscus-linked approach to micromanipulation, simplifying control requirements to the capillary length scale.
The method allows for rapid, inexpensive fabrication of machines capable of manipulating microscopic particles and braiding microwires.
This technology holds potential for applications in micro-assembly, high-frequency electronics, and advanced materials fabrication.