Self-assembly of gears at a fluid/air interface.
This paper describes a dynamic system-a system that develops order only when dissipating energy-comprising millimeter to centimeter scale gears that self-assemble into a simple machine at a fluid/air interface. The gears are driven externally and indirectly by magnetic interactions; they are made of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) or magnetically doped PDMS, and fabricated by soft lithography. Transfer of torque between gears can take place through three different mechanisms: mechanical interaction, hydrodynamic shear, and capillarity/overlap of menisci. Interplay between these forces allows interactions and motions that are not possible with conventional systems of gears.
Ng
Jessamine M K
JM
Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Pierce Hall, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Fuerstman
Michael J
MJ
Grzybowski
Bartosz A
BA
Stone
Howard A
HA
Whitesides
George M
GM