Spontaneous folding of planar surfaces into three-dimensional objects by magnetic self-assembly,

Spontaneous folding of planar surfaces into three-dimensional objects by magnetic self-assembly

Spontaneous folding of planar surfaces into three-dimensional objects by magnetic self-assembly, M. Boncheva, S. Andreev, L. Mahadevan, A. Winkelman, D. Reichman, M. Prentiss, S. Whitesides and G. Whitesides,  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA),  102, 3924-29, 2005.
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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.