Tailoring the wrinkle pattern of a microstructured membrane

The realization of controllable wrinkle pattern on a thin membrane is of great importance to micro/nanoengineering and aerospace engineering. Here, we report a straightforward method that achieves this outcome by introducing simple microstructures such as holes into the membrane. For a two-end clamped stretched membrane, the presence of holes redistributes stress field in the membrane, therefore monitors the buckling mode and wrinkle pattern of the membrane. Experiment, numerical simulation, and analytical model are provided to quantify this idea, and several wrinkle patterns are demonstrated. The results can provide insightful ideas to understand wrinkling phenomenon of microstructured membranes and to tailor wrinkle patterns used in various disciplines such as membrane manufacturing, cell differentiation, and film antenna in aerospace engineering. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.