Morphogeneration: Continuous chaotic flow of flower-shape microstructures

Radial symmetry is a recurring outcome of morphogenesis in nature, shaping the architecture of flowers, jellyfish, echinoderms, and other organisms where form and function are tightly intertwined. Replicating such complex, symmetric microstructures in engineered materials, however, has remained a persistent challenge. Here we introduce morphogeneration, a fabrication approach that harnesses chaotic fluid dynamics to create finely resolved, radially symmetric architectures with high reproducibility at micro- and nano-level. At the core of this method is a custom-designed static device, the morphogenerator, which transforms fluid motion into controlled, flower-like morphologies by deterministic stretching and folding of interfaces. Through computational fluid dynamics simulations and experiments with sodium alginate hydrogels, we show that microstructural features can be predictably tuned by adjusting device geometry, flow rate, and inlet configuration. Unlike conventional mixers that homogenize fluids, the morphogenerator preserves sharp interfaces while enabling scalable, high-precision patterning across soft matter systems. This strategy provides a versatile platform for translating the generative principles of morphogenesis into engineered contexts, with broad applications in microfluidics, materials engineering, and biomimetic environments.