Stretchable 3D lattice conductors

Unveiling the deformability of mussel plaque core: the role of pore distribution and hierarchical structure

The mussel thread-plaque system exhibits strong adhesion and high deformability, allowing it to adhere to various surfaces. While the microstructure of plaques has been thoroughly studied, the effect of their unique porous structure on the high deformability remains unclear. This study first investigated the porous structure of mussel plaque cores using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Two-dimensional (2D) porous representative volume elements (RVEs) with scaled distribution parameters were generated, and the calibrated phase-field modelling method was applied to analyse the effect of the pore distribution and multi-scale porous structure on the failure mechanism of porous RVEs. The SEM analysis revealed that large-scale pores exhibited a lognormal size distribution and a uniform spatial distribution. Simulations showed that increasing the normalised mean radius value (ū) of the large-scale pore distribution can statistically lead to a decreasing trend in final failure strain, strength and strain energy density but cannot solely determine their values. The interaction between pores can lead to two different failure modes under the same pore distribution: progressive failure mode and sudden failure mode. Additionally, the hierarchical structure of multi-scale porous RVEs can further increase the final failure strain by 40-60% compared to single-scale porous RVEs by reducing stiffness, highlighting the hierarchical structure could be another key factor contributing to the high deformability. These findings deepen our understanding of how the pore distribution and multi-scale porous structure in mussel plaques contribute to their high deformability and affect other mechanical properties, providing valuable insights for the future design of highly deformable biomimetic materials.

Electrokinetic Properties of 3D-Printed Conductive Lattice Structures

Lattice structures with lattice parameters in the mm range are routinely fabricated by additive manufacturing. Combining light weight and mechanical strength, these structures have plenty of potential applications. When composed of conducting elements, a 3D lattice has interesting electrical and electromagnetic properties. In this work, the electrokinetic properties of a conducting lattice are described by mixing the theory of resistor networks and continuous-medium electrodynamics. Due to the length scale provided by the lattice parameter, the effective continuous medium that mimics the electrokinetic response of a resistor lattice is characterized by a non-local Ohm’s law.

Magnetoactive Acoustic Metamaterials

Acoustic metamaterials with negative constitutive parameters (modulus and/or mass density) have shown great potential in diverse applications ranging from sonic cloaking, abnormal refraction and superlensing, to noise canceling. In conventional acoustic metamaterials, the negative constitutive parameters are engineered via tailored structures with fixed geometries; therefore, the relationships between constitutive parameters and acoustic frequencies are typically fixed to form a 2D phase space once the structures are fabricated. Here, by means of a model system of magnetoactive lattice structures, stimuli-responsive acoustic metamaterials are demonstrated to be able to extend the 2D phase space to 3D through rapidly and repeatedly switching signs of constitutive parameters with remote magnetic fields. It is shown for the first time that effective modulus can be reversibly switched between positive and negative within controlled frequency regimes through lattice buckling modulated by theoretically predicted magnetic fields. The magnetically triggered negative-modulus and cavity-induced negative density are integrated to achieve flexible switching between single-negative and double-negative. This strategy opens promising avenues for remote, rapid, and reversible modulation of acoustic transportation, refraction, imaging, and focusing in subwavelength regimes.