Braiding microscale fibers using capillary forces*

Braids of microscale fibers have electrical and mechanical properties that make them essential to applications such as high-frequency electronics and textiles. However, industrial braiding machines cannot easily make such ‘microbraids,’ because the forces they exert tend to break the fibers. We show that capillary forces can be used to manipulate the fibers and coax them into braids and weaves. We do this by using capillary machines, 3D-printed devices containing channels that trap floating objects using repulsive capillary forces [1]. I will explain how the topology of the braid or weave is determined by the device geometry and movement pattern, and how the elasticity of the fibers affects the braiding process.

[1] Zeng, C., Faaborg, M.W., Sherif, A., Falk, M.J., Hajian, R., Xiao, M., Hartig, K., Bar-Sinai, Y., Brenner, M.P., Manoharan, V.N. 3D-printed machines that manipulate microscopic objects using capillary forces. Nature (2022)