title: Controlled growth and form of precipitating microsculptures.
abstract: Controlled self-assembly of three-dimensional shapes holds great potential for fabrication of functional materials. Their practical realization requires a theoretical framework to quantify and guide the dynamic sculpting of the curved structures that often arise in accretive mineralization. Motivated by a variety of bioinspired coprecipitation patterns of carbonate and silica, we develop a geometrical theory for the kinetics of the growth front that leaves behind thin-walled complex structures. Our theory explains the range of previously observed experimental patterns and, in addition, predicts unexplored assembly pathways. This allows us to design a number of functional base shapes of optical microstructures, which we synthesize to demonstrate their light-guiding capabilities. Overall, our framework provides a way to understand and control the growth and form of functional precipitating microsculptures.
authors.affiliation: Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.|Kavli Institute for Bionano Science and Technology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
authors.forename: C Nadir
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1314-1497
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.affiliation: Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.|AMOLF, 1098 XG Amsterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Wim L
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0028-2354
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Noorduin
authors.affiliation: Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.|Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.|Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
authors.forename: Roel
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-6441-6038
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sadza
authors.affiliation: Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0630-1205
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Folkertsma
authors.affiliation: Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.|Kavli Institute for Bionano Science and Technology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.|Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.|Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aizenberg
authors.affiliation: Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. lmahadev@g.harvard.edu.|Kavli Institute for Bionano Science and Technology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.|Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.|Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5114-0519
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mahadevan