University of Buffalo Research Team Develop Flexible Circuits Inspired by Kirigami
With kirigami you are not restricted to simply folding paper – you can cut it as well. Most often the result is symmetrical although variations do apply. Researchers at University of Buffalo were inspired by the technique to create circuits that can flex, fold, and ‘stretch’:
Researchers have already found inspiration in the Japanese paper-folding art origami to design a bio-battery and a solar panel that could be used in space.
Now a team from the University of Buffalo (UB) has used the design principles behind kirigami—a variation of origami—to develop circuits that can bend for flexible electronic applications. The team recently published a study about their work in the journal Advanced Materials.
Like origami, kirigami includes folding paper but also allows for cutting it as well to create symmetrical shapes.
A research team led by Shenqiang Ren, professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the university, has emulated this technique to create tiny sheets of strong, yet bendable, electronic circuits made of a combination of select polymers and nanowires.
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