Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How magnetic forces control snapping in soft materials
By Sun H et al.·2026·Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, United States·View original on Europe PMC →
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Original publication title: Magnetic coupling transforms random snapping into ordered sequences in soft metamaterials.
Plain-English summary
This research looks at how certain soft materials can change shape in a controlled way when they snap, which usually happens randomly due to small imperfections. The scientists found that by using magnets within and between layers of these materials, they could make the snapping happen in a more organized manner. In simpler setups, the magnets caused unpredictable snapping, but in more complex, layered setups, the magnets worked together to create a chain reaction that led to consistent and directed movements. This new approach could lead to better materials for things like energy absorption, guiding waves, flexible robots, and medical devices. Overall, the treatment of the material's design worked well to improve its behavior.
Abstract
Mechanical metamaterials achieve multistep, programmable responses through sequential deformation driven by snapping instabilities, yet these sequences are typically governed by unavoidable imperfections, resulting in random and uncontrollable behavior. Here, we harness intra- and interlayer magnetic interactions coupled with elasticity to reprogram the ordering of sequential buckling instabilities in kirigami-inspired soft magnetic metamaterials. In single-layer systems, intralayer coupling among magnetized units produces random snapping sequences but generates strongly nonlinear-spiked force-displacement responses with pronounced hysteresis, in contrast to the simultaneous buckling of unmagnetized sheets. In multilayer assemblies, interlayer magnetic interactions trigger chain reaction-like propagation, transforming randomness into robust, directional snapping across structures. This mechanism establishes a paradigm for deterministic, multistep mechanical responses without continuously applied fields and opens avenues for adaptive materials in energy dissipation, waveguiding, reconfigurable soft robotics, and biomedical devices.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Europe PMC: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/41861013