Abstract
Capillarity is a powerful mechanism for mechanical self-assembly, driving phenomena such as the spontaneous bending of slender elastic structures in contact with droplets or the organization of bubbles into foams. Here, we will present a range of systems that leverage solid-liquid-air interfaces to achieve tailored functionalities. The first set of systems will explore the interplay between elasticity and capillarity, with a particular focus on reinterpreting the snap-through instability through the lens of elasto-capillarity, to build soft actuators. We will then focus on innovative strategies to guide bubbles into forming architected materials, including (i) the mechanical self-assembly of bubbles and flexible intruders, (ii) the controlled arrangement of bubbles within rigid fiber arrays, leading to crystalline structures if the parameters are well-chosen and (ii) the development of novel formulations for model foams capable of solidifying into structured solid foams.
Biography
Dr. Aurélie Hourlier-Fargette is a CNRS researcher at Institut Charles Sadron (ICS) in Strasbourg, France, working on liquid and solid foams, at the crossing between physics, physical chemistry, mechanics and materials science. Throughout her curriculum, she developed a special interest for systems involving capillarity, elasticity, and/or mechanical self-assembly: After physics studies at ENS Paris, she pursued a PhD on aqueous droplets in contact with elastomers at UPMC, Paris. She then joined Northwestern University as a postdoctoral researcher on skin-mounted electronic and microfluidic biomedical sensors, before her recruitment in the Mechanics of Interfaces and Multiphase systems team of ICS in 2019.