[Image above] Examples of a glass crane, vase, and flower created via origami. Credit: Xu et al., Nature Communications (CC BY 4.0)
Science thrives when researchers draw inspiration from areas outside their field. For example, the manufacturing method of cold sintering was inspired by geological processes, while the study of dislocations in ceramics is often supported by existing literature on dislocations in metals.
Art, too, has a role to play in inspiring scientific discoveries. Consider how the historical purple overglaze Böttger luster and the pigments used in mummy paintings have led to an expanded understanding of nano- and micromaterials.
Origami is another example of art influencing science. This Japanese paper-folding technique has inspired new approaches to materials design in medicine, architecture, and other engineering disciplines.
In honor of World Origami Days, which take place October 24 to November 11, we look at some of the ways this historic technique has contributed to ceramic and glass material advancements in recent years.
Autonomous origami: Ceramic sheets self-fold into various structures
Origami usually requires the manual folding of sheets to create new structures. But as demonstrated in the CTTs below, researchers have successfully developed ceramic-based sheets that can fold on their own through activation with water and light, respectively.
Video: Silicon nitride origami—making self-assembling 3D microstructures using water
Credit: Legrain et al., University of Twente
It’s alive: Graphene oxide paper walks around when lights switch on
Credit: Mu et al., Science Advances (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Origami inspires new approach to complex glass shaping
In the past few years, research on using silica–polymer composites as the precursor for glassmaking has offered opportunities to create glass with more complex geometries. In 2021, researchers from Zhejiang University in China used origami techniques to shape these precursor composites, and after firing, they achieved several impressively complex shapes including a crane, vase, and flower.
Origami techniques unfold new opportunities for complex glass shaping
Credit: Xu et al., Nature Communications (CC BY 4.0)
Glass coatings level up DNA origami scaffolds
Since 2006, DNA origami has emerged as one of the most promising assembly techniques in DNA nanotechnology. This technique involves using numerous short “staple” strands of DNA to direct the folding of a long “scaffold” strand.
In 2023, researchers at Columbia University, the University of Connecticut, and Brookhaven National Laboratory successfully transformed a DNA origami scaffold into a more stable solid-state material by coating the scaffold in a thin layer of silica. In 2024, they expanded on this research by infiltrating the glass-coated DNA origami scaffolds with metal and metal oxide particles, which resulted in the scaffold exhibiting new electrical and optical properties.
Credit: Michelson et al., Cell Reports Physical Science (CC BY 4.0)
Glass-coated DNA scaffolds receive power-up through inorganic infiltration
Credit: Michelson et al., Science Advances (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Origami fabrication techniques enhance fiber-reinforced composites
Ceramic and glass fiber-reinforced polymer composites are essential components of our built environment, finding application in everything from vehicles, such as boats and trains, to energy systems, such as wind turbines and energy storage devices.
In a recent open-access paper, researchers from the Institute of Chemical Technology and the Defense Institute of Advanced Technology in India overview the literature exploring origami folding patterns applied to fiber-reinforced composites.
Origami fabrication techniques for enhanced fiber reinforced composites: A review
Credit: Kshirsagar and Kandasubramanian, Hybrid Advances (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
