Directed assembly of braided, woven or twisted wire

Abstract

Wires, such as microwires or nanowires are braided, woven or twisted by attaching an end piece to a first end of a plurality of wires, wherein the end piece has a response to an electromagnetic or fluidic work force different than that of the wire. The end pieces are manipulated relative to each other by selective application of electromagnetic or fluidic force that braids, weaves or twist the wires at the first end, while the second ends of each of the wires remain fixed relative to each other.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of forming a braided, woven or twisted wire, comprising the steps of:
 a) attaching an end piece to a first end of each of a plurality of wires, the end piece having a response to an electromagnetic or fluidic force different than that of the wire;   b) fixing respective second ends of each of the wires relative to each other; and   c) manipulating the end pieces relative to each other by selective application of an electromagnetic or fluidic force that braids, weaves or twists the wires to thereby form the braided, woven or twisted wire.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the wire is a microwire, having a diameter in a range of between about 1 μm and about 1 mm. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the wire is a nanowire, having a diameter in a range of between about 1 nm and about 100 nm. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the wire includes at least one member of the group consisting of a metal, a ceramic, a polymer, and a glass. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the end piece includes at least one member of the group consisting of a dielectric material, a magnetic material, a metallic material, and a ferroelectric material. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the dielectric material is an electret. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the end piece has at least one dimension greater than that of the wire diameter. 
     
     
         8 . The method of claim  7 , wherein the end piece is a bead. 
     
     
         9 . The method of claim  7 , wherein the end piece is a spool of the wire. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the wires are fixed at their respective second ends to each other. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the wires are fixed at their respective second ends to a fixed support and are proximate to each other. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the end pieces are manipulated by manipulation of an electromagnetic force. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the electromagnetic force includes at least one member of the group consisting of electrostatic force, magnetostatic force, electroquasistatic force, and optical force. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the end pieces are manipulated by manipulation of a fluidic force. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the fluidic force includes at least one member selected from the group consisting of pressure, concentration gradient, thermal gradient, and electrowetting. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic or fluidic force is manipulated in two dimensions. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the end pieces are manipulated by selective application of an electromagnetic force from an addressable platform. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic or fluidic force is manipulated in three dimensions. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the wires are braided. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the wires are woven. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the wires are twisted.