Twistable Origami and Kirigami: From Structure-Guided Smartness to Mechanical Energy Storage

For achieving active shape transformable materials and structures, smart materials with shape memory effects along with deliberate structure design are generally used as the critical parameters in realizing structure transformation. Beyond such conventional approaches, here a novel structure-guided multimaterial three-dimensional (3D) printing strategy based on twistable origami structures is demonstrated to realize dynamic smart shape transformation. By thermally or photothermally triggering the prestored energy in the twisted structures, the 3D-printed integrated origami structures based on Miura and square-twist origami structures coupled with modifying by kirigami approaches are enabled to present a variable multistep transformable feature as well as a manipulatable stimulus-response behavior. Such shape transformation configuration allows the integrated origami and kirigami structures for constructing smart structures in delivering dynamic multifunction. More importantly, the shape transformation mechanism also suggests a unique capability in mechanical energy storage and release, promising a novel prototype of mechanical actuators. Implication of the results offers a great platform to construct smart and active structures using structure-guided strategies.