Morphological design and tunable mechanical properties of 3D spinodal membrane structures: adaptive coarse-grained modelling

Abstract

The spinodal decomposition method emerges as a promising methodology, showcasing its potential in exploring the design space for metamaterial structures. However, spinodal structures design is still largely limited to regular structures, due to their relatively easy parameterization and controllability. Efficiently predicting the mechanical properties of 3D spinodal membrane structure remains a challenge, given that the features of the membrane necessitate adaptive mesh through the modelling process. This paper proposes an integrated approach for morphological design with customized mechanical properties, incorporating the spinodal decomposition method and adaptive coarse-grained modeling, which can produce various morphologies such as lamellar, columnar, and cubic structures. Pseudo-periodic parameter β and orientational parameter Θ(θ₁, θ₂, θ₃) are identified to achieve the optimal goal of anisotropic mechanical properties. Parametric analysis is conducted to reveal the correlation between the customized spinodal structure and mechanical performance. Our work provides an integrated approach for morphological variation and tuning mechanical properties, paving the way for the design and development of customized functional materials similar to 3D spinodal membrane structures.