UWM chemists have found a way to get plastic to fold and refold itself, bending its shape for a specific purpose. Associate Professor Jian Chen’s research team took a page from origami and developed a technique in which a common plastic material is treated with chemicals in a certain pattern. This allows the material to fold itself into complex 3-D shapes and, later, revert to its original form.
Chen and graduate student Adebola Oyefusi use the technique on sheets of Nafion foil – a commercial polymer. In this video, you can watch the plastic fold itself into an iconic origami swan.
