NPJ metamaterials最新文献

Crystallography-inspired hierarchical multiscale mechanical metamaterials. 结晶学启发的分层多尺度机械超材料。

NPJ metamaterials Pub Date : 2026-01-01 Epub Date: 2026-06-02 DOI: 10.1038/s44455-026-00028-7

Jun Cai, Youjian Li, Alireza Seyedkanani, Pengxu Lu, Bendaoud Nohair, Abdolhamid Akbarzadeh

{"title":"Crystallography-inspired hierarchical multiscale mechanical metamaterials.","authors":"Jun Cai, Youjian Li, Alireza Seyedkanani, Pengxu Lu, Bendaoud Nohair, Abdolhamid Akbarzadeh","doi":"10.1038/s44455-026-00028-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44455-026-00028-7","url":null,"abstract":"Architected metamaterials derive their exceptional mechanical performance from their precisely-tailored underlying topologies, enabling access to regions of materials selection charts unattainable by conventional materials. While substantial advances have been achieved at micro-, meso-, and macroscales, further improvements are increasingly constrained, motivating exploration of nanoscale architected materials where surface and size effects dominate the overall multiphysics performance. Here, we resort to molecular dynamics simulations to systematically explore the mechanical response of nickel-based nano-architected metamaterials. By varying topology, relative density, crystallinity, and grain size, we demonstrate the broad tunability of elastic moduli, strength, and Poisson's ratio enabled by the rational design of underlying nano-architecture. Notably, the proposed nano-architected metamaterials outperform most previously reported architected materials at comparable densities, highlighting the effectiveness of nanoscale topology-driven designs. Atomistic analyses reveal that nanoscale free surfaces promote dislocation nucleation while inhibiting dislocation propagation, leading to flow stresses exceeding those of bulk counterparts. To bridge length scales and draw inspiration from crystallography, we design and 3D print hierarchical polymeric metamaterials and experimentally characterize their mechanical behavior. Despite being fabricated from an intrinsically brittle polymer, these structures exhibit topology-dependent stiffness and strength, alongside ductile plastic deformation and enhanced toughness, attributable to their hierarchical architectures. Together, this work introduces a crystallography-inspired architectural design paradigm for mechanical metamaterials and imparts scalable guidelines for achieving lightweight, mechanically efficient structures across multiple length scales.","PeriodicalId":521111,"journal":{"name":"NPJ metamaterials","volume":"2 1","pages":"18"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13229931/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148166870","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Shaping stress: how curvature governs the mechanics of film-substrate systems undergoing volumetric expansion. 成形应力：曲率如何控制薄膜-衬底系统在体积膨胀过程中的力学。

NPJ metamaterials Pub Date : 2026-01-01 Epub Date: 2026-03-03 DOI: 10.1038/s44455-026-00019-8

Sierra J Gross, Lorenzo Valdevit, Ali Mohraz

{"title":"Shaping stress: how curvature governs the mechanics of film-substrate systems undergoing volumetric expansion.","authors":"Sierra J Gross, Lorenzo Valdevit, Ali Mohraz","doi":"10.1038/s44455-026-00019-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44455-026-00019-8","url":null,"abstract":"Composite structures with conformal coatings on porous backbones are widely employed in energy storage, flexible electronics, and biomedical devices. However, expansion-induced stresses can lead to mechanical degradation of the coatings, thereby limiting their performance. In this study, we use finite element simulations to evaluate how substrate morphology - including curvature, shape, and coating configuration - governs the mechanical response of expanding thin-film coatings, using lithiation of silicon anodes as a model case of extreme expansion. The peak stress and strain energy density of the expanding film are used as indicators of failure, and empirical relationships are introduced to predict their scaling with curvature. We find that films on shell-backbones consistently exhibit higher tensile stress but lower strain energy density than those on solid-backbones, reflecting a trade-off between cracking and delamination risks. In all studied configurations, substrates with positive Gaussian curvature amplify the in-plane stresses of the film and increase the propensity for mechanical degradation, whereas substrates with negative Gaussian curvature effectively redistribute stresses and enhance the mechanical resilience. This work highlights the advantages of shell-backbone saddle substrates for expanding thin-film systems and provides general guidelines for the design of mechanically robust architected composites and shell-based metamaterials.","PeriodicalId":521111,"journal":{"name":"NPJ metamaterials","volume":"2 1","pages":"9"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12956561/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147367796","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Trusses beyond trusses: intertwined and straw-based metamaterials and beyond. 桁架之外的桁架：交织和基于稻草的超材料和超越。

NPJ metamaterials Pub Date : 2026-01-01 Epub Date: 2026-04-03 DOI: 10.1038/s44455-026-00027-8

Elias Pescialli, Junyu Chen, Konstantinos Karapiperis, Dotan Ilssar, Dennis M Kochmann

引用次数: 0

Statistical average strain energy density fatigue estimation of strut-based metamaterials via synthetic as-built CAD digital twins. 基于合成成品CAD数字孪生的杆基超材料的统计平均应变能密度疲劳估计。

NPJ metamaterials Pub Date : 2026-01-01 Epub Date: 2026-06-02 DOI: 10.1038/s44455-026-00030-z

Simone Murchio, Raffaele De Biasi, Marcello Laurenti, Nicolò Bonato, Simone Carmignato, Matteo Benedetti, Filippo Berto

{"title":"Statistical average strain energy density fatigue estimation of strut-based metamaterials via synthetic as-built CAD digital twins.","authors":"Simone Murchio, Raffaele De Biasi, Marcello Laurenti, Nicolò Bonato, Simone Carmignato, Matteo Benedetti, Filippo Berto","doi":"10.1038/s44455-026-00030-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44455-026-00030-z","url":null,"abstract":"The limited and scattered fatigue performances and their difficult predictability remain critical barriers for the widespread adoption of Laser-based Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) metamaterials in engineering applications, as fatigue damage initiation is highly sensitive to manufacturing-induced geometric imperfections. While X-ray computed tomography (CT) provides high-fidelity as-built reconstructions fundamental for metamaterials' structural health monitoring, its cost and complexity hinder routine integration into fatigue assessment workflows at the design stage. In this work, we propose a computationally efficient framework for the development of synthetic as-built CAD models, serving as digital twins for fatigue life and failure location prediction. The proposed model is herein reported for L-PBF Ti-6Al-4V struts, the elemental building blocks of metamaterial architectures, manufactured at different building orientations. Leveraging stereomicroscopy input images, a modular reconstruction pipeline capturing orientation-dependent surface morphology and partially fused particles allows the generation of as-built CAD models that retain the geometric variability governing fatigue behaviour, without reliance on volumetric imaging. Synthetic models are coupled with finite element analyses and a statistical strain energy density criterion to identify failure-critical locations. Validation against CT-derived counterparts demonstrates close morphological agreement and, since the design stage, the ability to estimate fatigue life and predict experimental failure locations within established scatter bands.","PeriodicalId":521111,"journal":{"name":"NPJ metamaterials","volume":"2 1","pages":"19"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13229937/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148166887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Co-design of programmable material systems. 可编程材料系统协同设计。

NPJ metamaterials Pub Date : 2026-01-01 Epub Date: 2026-09-04 DOI: 10.1038/s44455-026-00039-4

Dex Doksoo Lee, Liwei Wang, Bolin Chen, Ying-Kuan Tsai, Jay Sim, Ruike Renee Zhao, Xiaojia Shelly Zhang, Wei Chen

{"title":"Co-design of programmable material systems.","authors":"Dex Doksoo Lee, Liwei Wang, Bolin Chen, Ying-Kuan Tsai, Jay Sim, Ruike Renee Zhao, Xiaojia Shelly Zhang, Wei Chen","doi":"10.1038/s44455-026-00039-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44455-026-00039-4","url":null,"abstract":"Advances in manufacturing, stimuli-responsive materials, and actuation technologies have fueled the development of programmable material systems (PMS) that can change their functional states in response to external stimuli. This functional switch is instrumental for applications that demand adaptability and robustness under dynamic environments such as wearable electronics, haptic interfaces, and soft robots. In principle, achieving an interesting degree of programmability in material systems is a challenging design problem as it requires careful consideration of geometry, material, stimulus, and process amidst dynamic environments. This task becomes even more challenging when compounded by multifunctionality requirements, multiphysics modeling, coupling among the design entities, and resource-intensive performance evaluation. In practice, prevailing approaches often heuristically fix some entities or decouple their interactions, which significantly limits achievable performance and generalizability of the design approach. Motivated by this gap between promise and practice, we present a co-design formalism that highlights shared design considerations across prior works and categorizes design strategies for managing complexity. With the proposed lens, we reveal common threads in existing design approaches, identify opportunities and open research questions for co-design to achieve better performance and generalization. Through this perspective article, we aim to lay a design foundation for boosting progress in this emerging interdisciplinary field.","PeriodicalId":521111,"journal":{"name":"NPJ metamaterials","volume":"2 1","pages":"29"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13545007/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148898868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Thermal metamaterials for enhanced non-Fourier heat transport. 增强非傅立叶热输运的热超材料。

NPJ metamaterials Pub Date : 2025-01-01 Epub Date: 2025-11-18 DOI: 10.1038/s44455-025-00008-3

Harry Mclean, Francis Huw Davies, Ned Thaddeus Taylor, Steven Paul Hepplestone

{"title":"Thermal metamaterials for enhanced non-Fourier heat transport.","authors":"Harry Mclean, Francis Huw Davies, Ned Thaddeus Taylor, Steven Paul Hepplestone","doi":"10.1038/s44455-025-00008-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44455-025-00008-3","url":null,"abstract":"The untapped potential of thermal metamaterials requires the simultaneous observation of both diffusive and wave-like heat propagation across multiple length scales that can only be realised through theories beyond Fourier. Here, we demonstrate that tailored material patterning significantly modifies heat transport dynamics with enhanced non-Fourier behaviour, effectively trapping heat (temporarily). By bridging phonon scattering mechanisms with macroscopic heat flux via a novel perturbation-theory approach, we derive the hyperbolic Cattaneo model directly from particle dynamics, establishing a direct link between relaxation time and phonon lifetimes. Our micro-scale patterned systems exhibit extended non-Fourier characteristics, where internal interfaces mediate wave-like energy propagation, diverging sharply from diffusive Fourier predictions. These results provide a unified framework connecting micro-scale interactions to macroscopic transport, resolving long-standing limitations of the Cattaneo model. This work underscores the transformative potential of thermal metamaterials for ultra-fast thermal management and nanoscale energy applications, laying a theoretical foundation for next-generation thermal technologies.","PeriodicalId":521111,"journal":{"name":"NPJ metamaterials","volume":"1 1","pages":"7"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12637368/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145592704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Inverse design of curved mechanical metamaterials with geometric AI: a generative diffusion operates in compact latent space of cellular structures. 基于几何人工智能的弯曲机械超材料反设计：生成扩散在细胞结构的致密潜在空间中运行。

NPJ metamaterials Pub Date : 2025-01-01 Epub Date: 2025-11-07 DOI: 10.1038/s44455-025-00005-6

Mohammad Abu-Mualla, Jida Huang

{"title":"Inverse design of curved mechanical metamaterials with geometric AI: a generative diffusion operates in compact latent space of cellular structures.","authors":"Mohammad Abu-Mualla, Jida Huang","doi":"10.1038/s44455-025-00005-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44455-025-00005-6","url":null,"abstract":"The inverse design of curved truss structures in mechanical metamaterials remains underexplored due to the vast, discrete design space, lack of structural representation, high dimensionality, and inversion ambiguity. This work introduces a geometric AI framework to address these challenges and enable the design of curved cellular structures with targeted effective properties. A graph-based representation is developed and used to generate a dataset of over 200,000 unique structures, combining stiff straight beams with compliant curved elements, guided by tetragonal symmetry. A joint-attributed network embedding variational autoencoder constructs a continuous latent space encoding both topology and geometry, enabling prediction of linear and nonlinear properties. The inverse problem is solved in latent space using gradient-based optimization and a diffusion model conditioned on linear properties. The diffusion model achieves higher accuracy and efficiency, offering a scalable, flexible approach for discovering structures with both compliant and ultra-stiff behaviors and tunable nonlinear responses.","PeriodicalId":521111,"journal":{"name":"NPJ metamaterials","volume":"1 1","pages":"5"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12637367/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145592734","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

A computational optimisation study of hip implant using density mapping functionally graded biomimetic TPMS-based lattice structures. 基于密度映射功能梯度仿生tpms晶格结构的髋关节植入物计算优化研究。

NPJ metamaterials Pub Date : 2025-01-01 Epub Date: 2025-10-06 DOI: 10.1038/s44455-025-00003-8

Mahtab Vafaeefar, Conall Quinn, Kevin M Moerman, Ted J Vaughan

{"title":"A computational optimisation study of hip implant using density mapping functionally graded biomimetic TPMS-based lattice structures.","authors":"Mahtab Vafaeefar, Conall Quinn, Kevin M Moerman, Ted J Vaughan","doi":"10.1038/s44455-025-00003-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44455-025-00003-8","url":null,"abstract":"This study presents a computational framework for optimising a hip implant through a functionally graded biomimetic lattice structure, designed to reduce stress shielding. The optimisation technique, inspired by an inverse bone remodelling algorithm, promotes even stress distribution by reducing density and stiffness in regions with high strain energy compared to a reference level. The resulting non-uniform density distribution showed lower density levels along the implant stem's sides and higher density around its medial axis. This optimised material distribution was captured using mapping of a triply periodic minimal surface lattice structure on the implant, creating porous lattice surfaces within the solid structure. The porous implant's performance was evaluated using a finite element bone remodelling algorithm, comparing its bone response to a femur with a fully solid implant model, in terms of stress distribution and mass change. Results demonstrated improved bone formation at the bone-implant interface and enhanced stress transmission to the surrounding bone.","PeriodicalId":521111,"journal":{"name":"NPJ metamaterials","volume":"1 1","pages":"3"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12637366/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145592751","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Piezoelectric truss metamaterials: data-driven design and additive manufacturing. 压电桁架超材料：数据驱动设计和增材制造。

NPJ metamaterials Pub Date : 2025-01-01 Epub Date: 2025-12-03 DOI: 10.1038/s44455-025-00009-2

Saurav Sharma, Satya K Ammu, Prakash Thakolkaran, Jovana Jovanova, Kunal Masania, Siddhant Kumar

{"title":"Piezoelectric truss metamaterials: data-driven design and additive manufacturing.","authors":"Saurav Sharma, Satya K Ammu, Prakash Thakolkaran, Jovana Jovanova, Kunal Masania, Siddhant Kumar","doi":"10.1038/s44455-025-00009-2","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44455-025-00009-2","url":null,"abstract":"The inherent directionality of piezoelectric materials is constrained by the symmetry of their crystal structure, which limits the property space in natural piezoelectric materials. To alleviate this limitation, one could leverage geometry or architecture at the mesoscale. Here, we present a framework for designing and 3D-printing piezoelectric truss metamaterials with customizable anisotropic responses. We employ generative machine learning to design truss metamaterials and achieve unconventional behaviors, including auxetic, unidirectional, and omnidirectional piezoelectricity. Then, we develop an in-gel-3D printing method to fabricate these structures using a composite slurry of photo-curable resin and lead-free piezoelectric particles. We achieve an improvement of over 48% in the specific hydrostatic piezoelectric coefficient in optimized metamaterials over bulk lead zirconate titanate (PZT), and the rare phenomenon of higher transverse piezoelectric coefficients than the longitudinal coefficient. Our approach enables customizable piezoelectric responses and paves the way towards the development of a new generation of electro-active animate materials.","PeriodicalId":521111,"journal":{"name":"NPJ metamaterials","volume":"1 1","pages":"9"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12675293/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145703805","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0