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Digital Magnetic Handshake Materials, Structures, and Machines

Project Personnel

Itai Cohen

Principal Investigator

Cornell University

Paul McEuen

Cornell University

Michael Brenner

Harvard University

Funding Divisions

Division of Materials Research (DMR), Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems (CBET)

Learning to build smart, digital, and mechanically functional microscale objects could be as revolutionary as human-scale manufacturing. This grant will support research to develop a new way of meeting this challenging goal. It combines two technologies: modern magnetic information storage, which can create tiny magnets in any pattern desired, and ultrathin flexible materials that can bend in response to tiny forces. These will be combined to self-assemble intelligent, functional objects, machines, and materials. By designing the magnetic patterns/information, we will direct how strands connect to form complex structures and micron sized machines that can be controlled with external magnetic fields. 

Publications

Magnetic decoupling as a proofreading strategy for high-yield, time-efficient microscale self-assembly
Z. Liang, M. X. Lim, Q. Zhu, F. Mottes, J. Z. Kim, L. Guttieres, C. Smart, T. Pearson, C. X. Du, M. Brenner, P. McEuen, and I. Cohen
8/28/2025
Hierarchical Self-Assembly of Magnetic Handshake Materials
A. L. Fenley, C. X. Du, P. L. McEuen, I. Cohen, M. P. Brenner, and J. Dshemuchadse
4/11/2025
Proofreading mechanism for colloidal self-assembly
Q. Zhu, C. X. Du, E. M. King, and M. P. Brenner
12/9/2024
Magnetically programmed diffractive robotics
C. L. Smart, T. G. Pearson, Z. Liang, M. X. Lim, M. I. Abdelrahman, F. Monticone, I. Cohen, and P. L. McEuen
11/29/2024
Tuning Colloidal Reactions
R. K. Krueger, E. M. King, and M. P. Brenner
11/27/2024
Programming patchy particles for materials assembly design
E. M. King, C. X. Du, Q. Zhu, S. S. Schoenholz, and M. P. Brenner
6/24/2024
Bifurcation instructed design of multistate machines
T. Yang, D. Hathcock, Y. Chen, P. L. McEuen, J. P. Sethna, I. Cohen, and I. Griniasty
8/14/2023
Programming interactions in magnetic handshake materials
C. X. Du, H. A. Zhang, T. G. Pearson, J. Ng, P. L. McEuen, I. Cohen, and M. P. Brenner
1/1/2022

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Research Highlights

The Smallest Walking Robot
I. Cohen and P. McEuen (Cornell U.)
1/27/2026
Hierarchical Self-assembly of Magnetic Handshake Materials
I. Cohen and P. McEuen (Cornell U.) M. Brenner (Harvard U.)
1/27/2026
Magnetic Decoupling as a Proofreading Strategy for High-yield Time-efficient Microscale Self-Assembly
I. Cohen and P. McEuen (Cornell U.) M. Brenner (Harvard U.)
1/27/2026
Storing Information with Magnetic Encoding
I. Cohen, P. McEuen (Cornell U.) and M. Brenner (Harvard U.)
3/20/2018
New Paradigm for the Design of Emergent Function
I. Cohen and P. McEuen (Cornell U.)
3/20/2018

View All Highlights

U.S. National Science Foundation and NSF DMREF, Materials for Our Future

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation Award No. 2015237. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation. This site is maintained collaboratively by principal investigators with NSF DMREF awards, independent of the NSF.