DEREK BREID

The swelling of a thin film on a non-swelling substrate can lead to complex folded structures with high aspect ratios. Unlike structures formed through other thin-film buckling phenomena, these folds remain when the film is deswollen. The final fold structure is dependent upon both the swelling properties of the film and its bending modulus, as well as the adhesion between the swollen film and the substrate. We are currently investigating the impact of these factors in an effort to develop a model of fold formation and to identify strategies for control of fold geometry.