Self-folding of polymer sheets using local light absorption
Abstract
This paper demonstrates experimentally and models computationally a novel and simple approach for self-folding of thin sheets of polymer using unfocused light. The sheets are made of optically transparent, pre-strained polystyrene (also known as Shrinky-Dinks) that shrink in-plane if heated uniformly. Black ink patterned on either side of the polymer sheet provides localized absorption of light, which heats the underlying polymer to temperatures above its glass transition. At these temperatures, the predefined inked regions (i.e., hinges) relax and shrink, and thereby cause the planar sheet to fold into a three-dimensional object. Self-folding is therefore achieved in a simple manner without the use of multiple fabrication steps and converts a uniform external stimulus (i.e., unfocused light) on an otherwise compositionally homogenous substrate into a hinging response. Modeling captures effectively the experimental folding trends as a function of the hinge width and support temperature and suggests that the hinged region must exceed the glass transition temperature of the sheet for folding to occur.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Fillers such as indocyanine green and Epolight 4121, gold particles, conductive ceramics, carbon blacks, nanotubes, and even ink may be incorporated in SMPs to improve the heating efficiency.
“Fillers such as indocyanine green and Epolight 4121, gold particles [423,424], conductive ceramics, carbon blacks, nanotubes, and even ink [425] may be incorporated in SMPs to improve the heating efficiency [149,311,416,426,427].”
From A review of stimuli-responsive shape memory polymer composites (2013) · cites this paper as [425]
Printing a predesigned black ink pattern on prestretched shape memory polystyrene films provides localized absorption of light, which heats the underlying polymer to trigger shape recovery immediately under the pattern.
“The black ink pattern provides localized absorption of light, which heats the underlying polymer to trigger the shape recovery of the polymer immediate under the pattern.”
From A review of stimuli-responsive shape memory polymer composites (2013) · cites this paper as [425]
The sheet under the predefined inked region recovers, causing the planar sheet to fold into a three-dimensional object.
“The sheet under the predefined inked region recovers causing the planar sheet to fold into a three-dimensional object as shown in Fig. 15.”
From A review of stimuli-responsive shape memory polymer composites (2013) · cites this paper as [425]
Cites
Lendlein, A., Kelch, S., Kratz, K., Schulte, J., & Schauer, S. (2002) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/0471238961.1908011612051404.a01 · Cited by 2,616 · see citing works
Light-induced shape-memory polymers
Lendlein, A., Jiang, H., Jünger, O., & Langer, R. (2005) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature03496 · Cited by 2,006 · see citing works
Physical properties of polymers handbook
Mark, J. (2007) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-0-387-69002-5 · Cited by 1,670 · see citing works
Mather, P. T., Luo, X., & Rousseau, I. A. (2009) · Annual Review of Materials Research · doi:10.1146/annurev-matsci-082908-145419 · Cited by 911 · see citing works
Behl, M., & Lendlein, A. (2011) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/0471238961.1908011612051404.a01.pub2 · Cited by 664 · see citing works
Programmable matter by folding
Hawkes, E., An, B., Benbernou, N. M., Tanaka, H., Kim, S., Demaine, E. D., Rus, D., & Wood, R. J. (2010) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0914069107 · Cited by 658 · see citing works
Polymers move in response to light
Jiang, H. Y., Kelch, S., & Lendlein, A. (2006) · Advanced Materials · doi:10.1002/adma.200502266 · Cited by 631 · see citing works
Biomedical applications of thermally activated shape memory polymers
Small, W., Singhal, P., Wilson, T. S., & Maitland, D. J. (2010) · Journal of Materials Chemistry · doi:10.1039/b923717h · Cited by 451 · see citing works
Tetherless thermobiochemically actuated microgrippers
Leong, T. G., Randall, C. L., Benson, B. R., Bassik, N., Stern, G. M., & Gracias, D. H. (2009) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0807698106 · Cited by 432 · see citing works
Self-folding all-polymer thermoresponsive microcapsules
Stoychev, G. V., Puretskiy, N., & Ionov, L. (2011) · Soft Matter · doi:10.1039/c1sm05109a · Cited by 348 · see citing works
Pister, K. S. J., Judy, M. W., Burgett, S. R., et al. (1992) · Sensors and Actuators A Physical · doi:10.1016/0924-4247(92)80172-y · Cited by 279 · see citing works
Magnetically actuated, addressable microstructures
Judy, J. W., & Muller, R. S. (1997) · Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems · doi:10.1109/84.623114 · Cited by 260 · see citing works
Light-activated shape memory of glassy, azobenzene liquid crystalline polymer networks
Lee, K. M., Koerner, H., Vaia, R. A., Bunning, T. J., & White, T. J. (2011) · Soft Matter · doi:10.1039/c1sm00004g · Cited by 260 · see citing works
Three‐Dimensional Fabrication at Small Size Scales
Leong, T. G., Zarafshar, A. M., & Gracias, D. H. (2010) · Small · doi:10.1002/smll.200901704 · Cited by 246 · see citing works
Gold Nanocages: A Novel Class of Multifunctional Nanomaterials for Theranostic Applications
Chen, J., Yang, M., Zhang, Q., Cho, E. C., Cobley, C. M., Kim, C., Glaus, C., Wang, L. V., Welch, M. J., & Younan Xia, A. (2010) · Advanced Functional Materials · doi:10.1002/adfm.201001329 · Cited by 236 · see citing works
Soft microorigami: self-folding polymer films
Ionov, L. (2011) · Soft Matter · doi:10.1039/c1sm05476g · Cited by 233 · see citing works
Guo, X., Li, H., Ahn, B. Y., Duoss, E. B., Hsia, K. J., Lewis, J. A., & Nuzzo, R. G. (2009) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0907390106 · Cited by 218 · see citing works
Shrinky-Dink microfluidics: rapid generation of deep and rounded patterns
Grimes, A., Breslauer, D. N., Long, M., et al. (2007) · Lab on a Chip · doi:10.1039/b711622e · Cited by 212 · see citing works
Self-Folding of Three-Dimensional Hydrogel Microstructures
Guan, J., He, H., Hansford, D. J., & Lee, L. J. (2005) · The Journal of Physical Chemistry B · doi:10.1021/jp054341g · Cited by 191 · see citing works
Surface Tension-Driven Self-Folding Polyhedra
Leong, T. G., Lester, P. A., Koh, T. L., et al. (2007) · Langmuir · doi:10.1021/la700913m · Cited by 165 · see citing works
Programmable Soft Lithography: Solvent-Assisted Nanoscale Embossing
Lee, M. H., Huntington, M. D., Zhou, W. M., et al. (2010) · Nano Letters · doi:10.1021/nl102206x · Cited by 164 · see citing works
Zakharchenko, S., Puretskiy, N., Stoychev, G. V., et al. (2010) · Soft Matter · doi:10.1039/c0sm00088d · Cited by 153 · see citing works
Shrinky-Dink microfluidics: 3D polystyrene chips
Chen, C., Breslauer, D. N., Luna, J. I., Grimes, A., Chin, W., Lee, L. P., & Khine, M. (2008) · Lab on a Chip · doi:10.1039/b719029h · Cited by 152 · see citing works
Microassembly based on hands free origami with bidirectional curvature
Bassik, N., Stern, G. M., & Gracias, D. H. (2009) · Applied Physics Letters · doi:10.1063/1.3212896 · Cited by 148 · see citing works
Infrared light‐active shape memory polymer filled with nanocarbon particles
Leng, J., Wu, X., & Liu, Y. (2009) · Journal of Applied Polymer Science · doi:10.1002/app.30724 · Cited by 144 · see citing works
Self-citationThin Film Stress Driven Self‐Folding of Microstructured Containers
Leong, T. G., Benson, B. R., Call, E. K., & Gracias, D. H. (2008) · Small · doi:10.1002/smll.200800280 · Cited by 114 · see citing works
Arora, W. J., Nichol, A. J., Smith, H. I., et al. (2006) · Applied Physics Letters · doi:10.1063/1.2168516 · Cited by 99 · see citing works
Magnetic actuation of hinged microstructures
Yi, Y. W., & Liu, C. (1999) · Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems · doi:10.1109/84.749397 · Cited by 95 · see citing works
Electroactive thermoset shape memory polymer nanocomposite filled with nanocarbon powders
Leng, J., Lan, X., Liu, Y., & Du, S. (2009) · Smart Materials and Structures · doi:10.1088/0964-1726/18/7/074003 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
Self-citationStudy on the activation of styrene-based shape memory polymer by medium-infrared laser light
Leng, J., Zhang, D., Liu, Y., Yu, K., & Lan, X. (2010) · Applied Physics Letters · doi:10.1063/1.3353970 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Self-citationMicrohand for biological applications
Lu, Y., & Kim, C. (2006) · Applied Physics Letters · doi:10.1063/1.2362602 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
Self-Assembly Based on Chromium/Copper Bilayers
Tyagi, P., Bassik, N., Leong, T. G., et al. (2009) · Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems · doi:10.1109/jmems.2009.2023841 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Formation of micro protrusion arrays atop shape memory polymer
Liu, N., Xie, Q., Huang, W., Phee, S. J., & Guo, N. Q. (2008) · Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering · doi:10.1088/0960-1317/18/2/027001 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Fabrication and characterization of diamond-like carbon/Ni bimorph normally closed microcages
Luo, J., He, J. H., Fu, Y., et al. (2005) · Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering · doi:10.1088/0960-1317/15/8/005 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Luo, J., Huang, R. T., Jia, H., et al. (2006) · Sensors and Actuators A Physical · doi:10.1016/j.sna.2006.03.004 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Self-assembly of three dimensional micro mechanisms using thermal shrinkage of polyimide
Suzuki, K., Yamada, H., MIURA, H., et al. (2006) · Microsystem Technologies · doi:10.1007/s00542-006-0303-z · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Self-assembly of orthogonal three-axis sensors
Cho, J. H., Hu, S., & Gracias, D. H. (2008) · Applied Physics Letters · doi:10.1063/1.2965616 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Dynamic actuation of polyimide V-groove joints by electrical heating
Ebefors, T., Kälvesten, E., & Stemme, G. (1998) · Sensors and Actuators A Physical · doi:10.1016/s0924-4247(97)01769-x · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Remote Radio‐Frequency Controlled Nanoliter Chemistry and Chemical Delivery on Substrates
Ye, H., Randall, C. L., Leong, T. G., Slanac, D. A., Call, E. K., & Gracias, D. H. (2007) · Angewandte Chemie · doi:10.1002/ange.200604414 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Yabu, H., Matsuo, Y., Ijiro, K., et al. (2009) · ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces · doi:10.1021/am900768e · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Sydney Gladman, A., Matsumoto, E. A., Nuzzo, R. G., Mahadevan, L., & Lewis, J. A. (2016) · Nature Materials · doi:10.1038/nmat4544 · Cited by 3,027 · see citing works
Zhao, Q., Qi, H. J., & Xie, T. (2015) · Progress in Polymer Science · doi:10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2015.04.001 · Cited by 1,409 · see citing works
Soft Actuators for Small-Scale Robotics
Hines, L., Petersen, K., Lum, G. Z., & Sitti, M. (2017) · Advanced Materials · doi:10.1002/adma.201603483 · Cited by 1,337 · see citing works
A review of stimuli-responsive shape memory polymer composites
Meng, H., & Li, G. (2013) · Polymer · doi:10.1016/j.polymer.2013.02.023 · Cited by 1,190 · see citing works
Advances in 4D Printing: Materials and Applications
Kuang, X., Roach, D. J., Wu, J., Hamel, C. M., Ding, Z., Wang, T., Dunn, M. L., & Qi, H. J. (2019) · Advanced Functional Materials · doi:10.1002/adfm.201805290 · Cited by 1,095 · see citing works
Light-triggered self-healing and shape-memory polymers
Habault, D., Zhang, H., & Zhao, Y. (2013) · Chemical Society Reviews · doi:10.1039/c3cs35489j · Cited by 662 · see citing works
Origami-inspired active structures: a synthesis and review
Peraza-Hernandez, E. A., Hartl, D. J., Malak Jr, R. J., & Lagoudas, D. C. (2014) · Smart Materials and Structures · doi:10.1088/0964-1726/23/9/094001 · Cited by 421 · see citing works
4D printing of polymeric materials for tissue and organ regeneration
Miao, S., Castro, N., Nowicki, M., Xia, L., Cui, H., Zhou, X., Zhu, W., Lee, S.-J., Sarkar, K., Vozzi, G., et al. (2017) · Materials Today · doi:10.1016/j.mattod.2017.06.005 · Cited by 408 · see citing works
4D Printing Technology: A Review
Choi, J., Kwon, O.-C., Jo, W., Lee, H. J., & Moon, M.-W. (2015) · 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing · doi:10.1089/3dp.2015.0039 · Cited by 365 · see citing works
Sequential self-folding of polymer sheets
Liu, Y., Shaw, B., Dickey, M. D., & Genzer, J. (2017) · Science Advances · doi:10.1126/sciadv.1602417 · Cited by 335 · see citing works
Self-citationSelf-folding with shape memory composites
Felton, S. M., Tolley, M. T., Shin, B., Onal, C. D., Demaine, E. D., Rus, D., & Wood, R. J. (2013) · Soft Matter · doi:10.1039/c3sm51003d · Cited by 269 · see citing works
Various shape memory effects of stimuli-responsive shape memory polymers
Meng, H., Mohamadian, H., Stubblefield, M., Jerro, D., Ibekwe, S., Pang, S.-S., & Li, G. (2013) · Smart Materials and Structures · doi:10.1088/0964-1726/22/9/093001 · Cited by 257 · see citing works
Multiple and two-way reversible shape memory polymers: Design strategies and applications
Wang, K., Jia, Y.-G., Zhao, C., & Zhu, X. X. (2019) · Progress in Materials Science · doi:10.1016/j.pmatsci.2019.100572 · Cited by 208 · see citing works
Two-Way and Multiple-Way Shape Memory Polymers for Soft Robotics: An Overview
Scalet, G. (2020) · Actuators · doi:10.3390/act9010010 · Cited by 209 · see citing works
Recent developments in shape memory polymer nanocomposites: Actuation methods and mechanisms
Wang, W., Liu, Y., & Leng, J. (2016) · Coordination Chemistry Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.ccr.2016.03.007 · Cited by 182 · see citing works
Self-citationDesolvation Induced Origami of Photocurable Polymers by Digit Light Processing
Zhao, Z., Wu, J., Mu, X., Chen, H., Qi, H. J., & Fang, D. (2017) · Macromolecular Rapid Communications · doi:10.1002/marc.201600625 · Cited by 153 · see citing works
A Review on Origami Simulations: From Kinematics, To Mechanics, Toward Multiphysics
Zhu, Y., Schenk, M., & Filipov, E. T. (2022) · Applied Mechanics Reviews · doi:10.1115/1.4055031 · Cited by 137 · see citing works
Autonomous Off‐Equilibrium Morphing Pathways of a Supramolecular Shape‐Memory Polymer
Peng, W., Zhang, G., Zhao, Q., & Xie, T. (2021) · Advanced Materials · doi:10.1002/adma.202102473 · Cited by 98 · see citing works
Extreme Mechanics: Self-Folding Origami
Santangelo, C. D. (2017) · Annual Review of Condensed Matter Physics · doi:10.1146/annurev-conmatphys-031016-025316 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
4D printing of polyurethane paint-based composites
Su, J.-W., Gao, W., Trinh, K., Kenderes, S. M., Tekin Pulatsu, E., Zhang, C., Whittington, A., Lin, M., & Lin, J. (2019) · International Journal of Smart and Nano Materials · doi:10.1080/19475411.2019.1618409 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
- Authors
- Liu, Y., Boyles, J. K., Genzer, J., & Dickey, M. D.
- Affiliations
- North Carolina State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Dickey, Michael D.
- Venue
- Soft Matter
- Publisher
- Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
- Published
- 2012
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1764-1769
- ISSN
- 1744-683X (ISSN-L)
- 1744-6848
- OpenAlex
- W2123741193
- Cited by
- 523
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 39 · 2021: 38 · 2020: 53 · 2019: 30 · 2018: 60 · 2017: 59 · 2016: 45 · 2015: 38 · 2014: 45 · 2013: 33 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 49.89
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Soft Matter (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Royal Society
- Royal Society of Chemistry
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanical Engineering › Advanced Materials and Mechanics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Computational Mechanics › Laser and Thermal Forming Techniques
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Polymers and Plastics › Polymer composites and self-healing
- Keywords
- self-folding, polymer sheets, polystyrene, light-induced heating, hinge, glass transition temperature, thermal contraction
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
