Tertuliano-Carpick Collaboration Reveals 3D Auto-Kirigami in Layered Graphite
In a recent collaboration with the Tertuliano Lab, researchers from the Carpick Group contributed to a groundbreaking study uncovering three-dimensional (3D) auto-kirigami behavior in graphite—a phenomenon where the material spontaneously folds, tears, and lifts into intricate 3D structures when indented.
Published in Nano Letters, the study was led by Luc Capaldi, a Ph.D. student in Ottman Tertuliano’s lab, and supported by Carpick Group members Li Yuan, Cangyu Qu, and Daniel Sanchez. This work builds on earlier observations that graphene and graphite can undergo self-organized deformation when subjected to localized mechanical stress. 📄 Read the full paper in Nano Letters
While the Tertuliano Lab provided real-time in situ imaging capabilities inside a scanning electron microscope, the Carpick Group brought expertise in nanoscale friction, adhesion, and deformation mechanics of 2D materials. Together, the teams explored how indentation of graphite leads to the emergence of standing, whisker-like structures—transforming a flat film into a 3D architecture.
These auto-kirigami structures exhibit enhanced electrical conductivity in multiple directions and suggest new opportunities for mechanically reconfigurable devices, including sensors, flexible conductors, and nanoscale actuators—all created through a single indentation event.
This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under a Graduate Research Fellowship Program Award, the US-Ireland R&D Partnership Program Grant (CMMI-2041662), an NSF CAREER Award (2339836), an NSF grant under the American Society for Engineering Education (#EEC-2127509), and Penn’s Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship from the University of Pennsylvania. This work was carried out in part at the Singh Center for Nanotechnology, which is supported by the NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure Program under grant NNCI-2025608.
🔗 Read more on the Penn Engineering Blog
🔗 Read more on the MEAM Department Blog
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