Tailoring the Multistability of Reconfigurable 3D Magnetic Mesostructures

Three-dimensional (3D) mesostructures that can reversibly change their geometries and thereby their functionalities are promising for a wide range of applications such as deployable devices, soft robotics, etc. The multistability of such structures is critical for their applications but is challenging to manipulate due to the highly nonlinear deformations and complex configurations of the structures. In this talk, I will present a comprehensive experimental and computational study to tailor the multistable states of continuous 3D mesostructures and origami-inspired, buckled ferromagnetic structures as well as their reconfiguration paths. Using table/ribbon structures as an example, a design phase diagram is constructed as a function of the geometry, crease number, and compressive assembly strain. For example, in origami-inspired ribbon structures, as the crease number increases from 0 to 7, the number of distinct stable states first increases and then decreases. The multistability is also shown to be actively tuned by varying the strain from 0% to 40%. Furthermore, analyzing energy barriers for reconfiguration among the stable states reveals dynamic changes in reconfiguration paths with increasing strain. Guided by the studies above, diverse examples are designed and demonstrated, from programmable structure arrays to soft robots. These studies lay out the foundation for the rational design of functional, multistable structures.