The field of micromechanics is now a well-established engineering domain with a demonstrated impact on science, technology, and product development. At the core of this technology are movable mechanical structures, MEMS, with dimensions ranging from a few to 100’s microns, and rigid components that rely on external links for power supply and control. Removing these constraints would enable a new technology platform for responsive systems that can change shapes, deploy, gather energy from the local environment, and self-propel. These shape morphing systems create a new paradigm in engineering where the distinction between materials and mechanisms gets vague.

This presentation will introduce the fundamentals and limitations of current micro-machines and discuss the prospect of creating shape morphing structures by using origami and Kirigami techniques combined with nanoscale materials.

Daniel López is the Liang Professor of Electrical Engineering and the Director of the Nanofabrication Laboratory at the Materials Research Institute at Penn State University. Dr. López received his Ph.D. in Physics from the Instituto Balseiro in Argentina in 1996. After acquiring his Ph. D, he worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at IBM T. J. Watson Research Center studying high-temperature superconductors. In 1998 he joined Bell Laboratories (Murray Hill, NJ) as a full-time Research Staff member where he developed micro and nano-machines for optical communications, imaging, and quantum sensing. In 2000 he received the Bell Labs President’s Gold Award, the highest recognition award at Bell Laboratories for developing disruptive technologies with a direct impact on the business. In 2008 he moved to Argonne National Laboratory to lead the Nanofabrication and Devices group. At Argonne, he received the Physical Sciences and Engineering Excellence Award, and from 2015 to 2019, he was a Fellow of the Institute for Molecular Engineering at The University of Chicago. He is presently affiliated with the Physical Measurements Lab at the National Institute for Standards and Technologies (NIST) at Gaithersburg, MD.

His research career covered many areas, such as novel materials, micromechanics, optical microsystems, and nanofabrication, but a common theme has been using the interplay among mechanics, photonics, and materials to advance fundamental and applied science. Some recent notable examples of his research include the fabrication of today’s fastest and densest spatial light modulators, the development of methods to improve the performance of oscillators using nonlinear resonators, the most precise characterization of the quantum mechanical Casimir interaction, and the development of optical nanosystems incorporating metasurfaces and MEMS devices. He has authored more than 150 technical publications, holds more than 30 granted and pending patents, and has given invited talks worldwide. He collaborates with the industrial sector and with researchers and educators globally.

Center for Nanotechnology Education and Utilization (CNEU)

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

• Daniel Lopez, NACK Network (2021), "Shape-Changing Micromachines," https://nanohub.org/resources/35208.

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1. ATE Centers
2. kirigami
3. materials science
4. MEMS
5. NACK Network
6. Nano Electro-Mechanical Systems (NEMS)
7. origami