Instability of the origami of a ferrofluid drop in a magnetic field

T. Jamin, C. Py & E. Falcon

Univ Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Cité, MSC, CNRS, UMR 7057, F-75 013 Paris, France, EU

Reference:

Eds Suggestion PRL Physical Review Letters 107, 204503 (2011)

URL: http://prl.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v107/i20/e204503

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.204503

Abstract:

Capillary origami is the wrapping of an usual fluid drop by a planar elastic membrane due to the interplay between capillary and elastic forces. Here, we use a drop of magnetic fluid whose shape is known to strongly depend on an applied magnetic field. We study the quasi-static and dynamical behaviors of such a magnetic capillary origami. We report the observation of an overturning instability that the origami undergoes at a critical magnetic field. This instability is triggered by an interplay between magnetic and gravitational energies in agreement with the theory presented here. Additional effects of elasticity and capillarity on this instability are also discussed.

PACS : 47.65.Cb - Magnetic fluids and ferrofluids
             46.32.+x - Static buckling and instability
             68.08.-p - Liquid-solid interfaces

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See also press items from

-

"Magnetic field flips miniature origami" in Physics 4, 93 (2011) by David Lindley ;

- LogoLemonde

, the french newspaper: "Plier des origamis sans les doigts" Le Monde, 19 novembre 2011, "Cahier Sciences" p. 3 by David Larousserie

- "Origami folds with light or a magnetic field" in Inovacao tecnologica (in Portuguese - see here for an english "google" translation)