  The ability of liquid interfaces to shape slender elastic structures provides
powerful strategies to control the architecture of mechanical self assemblies.
However, elastocapillarity-driven intelligent design remains unexplored in more
complex architected liquids - such as foams. Here we propose a model system
which combines an assembly of bubbles and a slender elastic structure.
Arrangement of soap bubbles in confined environments form well-defined periodic
structures, dictated by Plateau's laws. We consider a 2D foam column formed in
a square section cylinder in which we introduce an elastomer ribbon, leading to
architected structures whose geometry is guided by a competition between
elasticity and capillarity. In this system, we quantify both experimentally and
theoretically the equilibrium shapes, using X-ray micro-tomography and energy
minimisation techniques. Beyond the understanding of the amplitude of the wavy
elastic ribbon deformation, we provide a detailed analysis of the profile of
the ribbon, and show that such setup can be used to grant a shape to a
UV-curable composite slender structure, as a foam-forming technique suitable to
miniaturisation. In more general terms, this work provides a stepping stone
towards an improved understanding of the interactions between liquid foams and
slender structures.
