Multifunctional Mechanical Metamaterials Based on Triply Periodic Minimal Surface Lattices

TLDR

Cellular materials in nature inspire architected metamaterials whose topology‑controlled properties arise from triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS), a class of structures with mathematically defined, multifunctional mechanical behavior. This work aims to design, synthesize, and apply TPMS‑based lattices and composites, elucidating their material–topology–mechanical property relationships and identifying promising applications and future research directions. The authors outline a design workflow for TPMS lattices and review the fabrication techniques employed, while discussing how material, topology, and mechanical properties interrelate.

Abstract

In nature, cellular materials exhibit enhanced multifunctionalities driven mainly by their sophisticated topologies and length scales. These natural systems have inspired the development and expansion of synthetic architected materials for revolutionary applications. Consequently, both the design and synthesis techniques gained considerable attention and have massively progressed over the last few decades. Such materials with topology‐controlled properties are commonly known as “metamaterials.” Architected materials with topologies based on triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) which are of particular interest have attracted much attention recently due to their mathematically controlled fascinating topologies and their exhibited physical and mechanical properties. Herein, the design, synthesis, and use of TPMS in the field of metamaterials and metacomposites for several applications are focused upon. The design process to create TPMS‐based 3D lattices is summarized and the different manufacturing processes used to fabricate these lattices are highlighted. Herein, the material–topology–mechanical properties relationship of different TPMS‐based lattices that are investigated in the literature is discussed. A further objective is to highlight the applications where TPMS‐based lattices or composites can be efficiently used as well as the research areas to be explored.