MIT engineers have made a groundbreaking discovery in creating a new type of material that is both strong and stretchy. This material is known as a metamaterial and is fabricated by printing precise patterns on a base material that is usually rigid and brittle. The intricate design of the patterns allows the material to be both robust and flexible.
In the field of metamaterial design, the focus has always been on making materials stronger and stiffer. However, this often comes at the cost of flexibility. MIT engineers have managed to overcome this trade-off by developing a metamaterial that combines stiff microscopic struts with a softer woven architecture. This unique combination allows the material to stretch over four times its original size without breaking, unlike traditional polymers that lack flexibility.
The researchers believe that this new design can be applied to other materials like ceramics, glass, and metals, opening up a wide range of possibilities for uses such as tear-resistant textiles, flexible semiconductors, and durable scaffolds for tissue repair. The team’s work has been published in the journal Nature Materials.
The inspiration for this new material came from hydrogels, soft and stretchy materials made from water and polymers. By combining stiff and soft polymer networks, similar to those found in hydrogels, the team was able to create a metamaterial that is both strong and stretchy. The material is fabricated using a combination of microscopic struts and coils printed in a precise pattern using advanced laser-based printing technology.
Through a series of stress tests, the researchers found that their new material could stretch three times its length compared to traditional lattice-patterned metamaterials. The material’s unique design allows it to dissipate stress and energy more effectively, making it both tough and resistant to tearing.
In summary, this innovative metamaterial design opens up new possibilities in materials science and engineering, with potential applications in various industries. The researchers are now working on expanding this design to other materials to create multifunctional materials with unique properties.
