Design, fabrication, and characterization of solid–liquid dual-state mechanical metamaterials

High-performance and reusable energy-absorbing materials have tremendous potential in industrial applications. Achieving both high performance and reusability has long been a challenge due to their apparent incompatibility. To address this, we proposed a solid–liquid dual-state mechanical metamaterial. This metamaterial exhibits robust mechanical properties when the liquid metal is solid and achieves high energy absorption through its plastic deformation. Upon heating-induced solid–liquid state transition, its deformed state fully recovers its initial state, ensuring reusability. The metamaterials can be fabricated by injecting liquid metal into an hollow elastic lattice structure manufactured through additive…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Award: 12302190