Capillarity induced folding of elastic sheets

Surface tension forces induced by a liquid droplet are used to bend thin elastic sheets into three dimensional structures. The resulting 3D shape may be controlled by tailoring the initial cut of the sheet. We derive the criterion for folding from a balance between elastic and capillary effects and compare it with the experiments. This mechanism can be used for fabrication of three-dimensional micro- or nano-scale objects through the self-folding of planar templates.