Membrane morphology beyond polyhedra*

Conventional homogeneous or heterogeneous elastic crystalline membrane exhibits buckling transition from sphere to polyhedra. However, their morphologies do not go beyond polyhedra and cannot be externally controlled. We study the morphology of a closed crystalline membrane co-assembled with super-paramagnetic particles which is called magnetoelastic membrane. With additional competition from magnetic dipole-dipole interaction on top of elasticity, magnetoelastic membrane shows novel morphology beyond polyhedra. By systematically changing two dimensionless control parameters, we find a rich class of membrane morphologies. The morphology of magnetoelastic membrane can be manipulated by external magnetic field, providing promising applications for membrane shape control, design of micro-containers and targeted drug delivery systems.