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The research fields of microfluidics and soft robotics both involve complexsmall-scale internal channel networks, embedded within a solid structure. Thiswork examines leveraging viscous peeling as a mechanism to create and activatesoft actuators and microchannel networks, including complex elements such asvalves, without the need for fabrication of structures with micron-scaleinternal cavities. We consider configurations composed of an internal slenderstructure embedded within another elastic solid. Pressurized viscous fluid isintroduced into the interface between the two solids, thus peeling the twoelastic structures and creating internal cavities. Since the gap between thesolids is determined by the externally applied pressure, the characteristicsize of the fluidic network may vary in time and be much smaller than theresolution of the fabrication method. This work presents a model for the highlynonlinear elastic-viscous dynamics governing the flow and deformation of suchconfigurations. Fabrication and experimental demonstrations of micron-scalevalves and channel-networks created from millimeter scale structures arepresented, as well as the transient dynamics of viscous peeling based softactuators. The experimental data is compared with the suggested model, showingvery good agreement.

Leveraging viscous peeling in soft actuators and reconfigurable microchannel networks