Differential growth and shape formation of a flower-shaped structure

Morphogenesis, which is a complex interplay of biological, chemical, and physical processes, facilitates differential growth in various biological systems, particularly in plant organs, such as petals and leaves. Although recent studies have increasingly delved into the mechanical aspects of these biological structures, there remains a lack of a comprehensive quantitative understanding of shape formation induced by differential growth in plant organs. Thus, this study addressed this gap by employing a multifaceted approach encompassing theoretical analyses and comprehensive finite element analysis of the effect of differential growth on the shape of a cylinder into a flower shape. Based on the derivation of the strain energy expressions for the axisymmetric and asymmetric configurations, the shape function of the growing flower-like structures were calculated through mathematical optimization. The findings of this study shed light on the influence of the growth function, geometric characteristics, and material properties. As the wave number increased, the final configuration tended to have smaller waves, whereas a longer cylinder buckled more easily and the thickness had a minimal effect. This study offers insights that can pave the way for innovative geometrical designs, thereby providing inspiration for applications on both micro-and macroscales, such as in the realms of self-assembly of soft robotics and flexible electronics.