Elastocapillary phenomena involving elastic deformation of solid structures coupled with capillary effects of liquid droplets/films can be observed in a diversity of fields, e.g., biology and microelectromechanical sy...Elastocapillary phenomena involving elastic deformation of solid structures coupled with capillary effects of liquid droplets/films can be observed in a diversity of fields, e.g., biology and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Understanding the physical mechanisms underlying these phenomena is of great interest for the design of new materials and devices by utilizing the effects of surface tension at micro and nano scales. In this paper, some recent developments in the investigations on elastocapillary phenomena are briefly reviewed. Especially, we consider the deformation, adhesion, self-assembly, buckling and wrinkling of ma- terials and devices induced by surface tensions or capillary forces. The main attention is paid to the experimental results of these phenomena and the theoretical analysis meth- ods based on continuum mechanics. Additionally, the applications of these studies in the fields of MEMS, micro/nanometrology, and biomimetic design of advanced materials and devices are discussed.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (10802099 and 10732050)the Doctoral Fund of Ministry of Education of China (200804251520)+1 种基金973 Program(2012CB934101)the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (ZR2009AQ006)
文摘Elastocapillary phenomena involving elastic deformation of solid structures coupled with capillary effects of liquid droplets/films can be observed in a diversity of fields, e.g., biology and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Understanding the physical mechanisms underlying these phenomena is of great interest for the design of new materials and devices by utilizing the effects of surface tension at micro and nano scales. In this paper, some recent developments in the investigations on elastocapillary phenomena are briefly reviewed. Especially, we consider the deformation, adhesion, self-assembly, buckling and wrinkling of ma- terials and devices induced by surface tensions or capillary forces. The main attention is paid to the experimental results of these phenomena and the theoretical analysis meth- ods based on continuum mechanics. Additionally, the applications of these studies in the fields of MEMS, micro/nanometrology, and biomimetic design of advanced materials and devices are discussed.