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This invention has several key advantages for stimuli-responsive surface Sensitivity - the dimensions of the buckling structures and the residual stress built into the material.
About
Technology This invention involves creating shape transition at responsive interfaces or surfaces by employing simple features such as shells, plates or columns, that are integrated into a material's surface or interface through simple processes of molding or self-assembly. Upon application of a given stimulus (e.g. weight, light, chemical, thermal) the structures will spontaneously transform their shape due to the onset of elastic instability. This instability is a "snap-through" event which induces the shape transition of the material surface. Applications The applied science that will result from this work can utilize the novel shape transition to serve several purposes. For example, it can cause the immediate de-bonding of a coating that is applied above these structures; it can activate an electrical signal to trigger a warning signal; it can change the reflectivity of a surface; or it can simply change the adhesion quality of a surface, among many other applications. Potential commercial uses include on-command release of coatings, chemical sensors for packaging or coatings, anti-fouling coatings, tunable adhesives, "smart" adhesives, true pressure-sensitive adhesives, and release strategies for tissue engineering.