UMass Amherst team discovers use of elasticity to position microplates on curved 2D fluids

(University of Massachusetts Amherst) A team of polymer science and engineering researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has demonstrated for the first time that the positions of tiny, flat, solid objects integrated in nanometrically thin membranes - resembling those of biological cells - can be controlled by mechanically varying the elastic forces in the membrane itself. This research milestone is a significant step toward the goal of creating ultrathin flexible materials that self-organize and respond immediately to mechanical force.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: news