Spontaneous Fabrication of Three-Dimensional Multiscale Fractal Structures Using Hele-Shaw Cell

Abstract

Several biosystems such as leaf veins, respiratory system, blood circulation, and some plant xylem involving multiscale fractal topologies are being mimic for their inherent natural optimization. Three-dimensional fractal structures spanning multiple scales are difficult to fabricate. In this paper, we demonstrate a new method to fabricate structures spanning meso- and microscale in a relatively easy and inexpensive manner. A well-known Saffman–Taylor instability is exploited for the same in a lifted Hele-Shaw cell. In this cell, a thin layer of liquid is squeezed between two plates being lifted angularly leaving behind the fractal rearrangement of fluid which is proposed to be solidified later. We demonstrate and characterize fractal structures fabricated using two different fluids and corresponding methods of solidification. The first one is ceramic suspension in a photopolymer and another is polystyrene solution with photopolymerization and solvent vaporization as methods of solidification, respectively. The fabrication process is completed in period of a few seconds.