Visually arresting

It's not often you see a wire intentionally tied into a knot, especially when that wire is a state-of-the-art microstructure only 200 micrometers wide. However, Adam Siegel and colleagues at Harvard University tangled up their invention to prove a point: Flexibility is key to integrating microelectrical circuits into fabrics, according to Siegel. Rather than extruding the wire, Siegel and colleagues poured molten indium/tin solder into a microfluidic channel in clear silicon and allowed it to cool. Depending on the solder composition, he says, the wire can be solid or flexible, and any breaks can be healed by simply reheating it.

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