Browsing > By author > Wang Jiong

Magneto-mechanical coupling in the growth of soft materials presents challenges due to the
complex interactions between magnetic fields, mechanical forces, and growth-induced defor-
mations. While growth modeling has been extensively studied, integrating magnetic stimuli
into growth processes remains underexplored. In this work, we develop a 3D governing sys-
tem for capturing the coupled magneto-mechanical growth behaviors of soft materials. Based
on the governing system, we implement a finite element framework using second-order hexa-
hedral elements to simulate these interactions. The robustness and accuracy of the proposed
framework are demonstrated through numerical simulations, including the uniaxial loading
of a circular tube, a mesh convergence study, and surface pattern evolution. We also conduct
experiments on surface pattern modulation in magneto-active soft materials. Specifically, we
fabricate film-substrate samples and apply growth-induced instabilities combined with ex-
ternal magnetic fields to generate tunable surface patterns. To demonstrate the capabilities
of our method, we apply our numerical framework to mimic the biological morphogenesis,
such as the inversion process of the algal genus Volvox. Our study shows that integrat-
ing magneto-mechanical coupling with growth effects allows for flexible control over surface
patterns, significantly enhancing the adaptability and responsiveness of soft materials. This
work paves the way for innovative designs of adaptive and programmable soft materials, with
potential applications in soft robotics, biomimetic structures, and tissue engineering