Multifunctional and reprogrammable 4D pixel mechanical metamaterials

• Published in: International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing Vol. 7; no. 1; pp. 15506 - 15519
• Main Authors: Xin, Xiaozhou, Lin, Cheng, Li, Bingxun, Zhang, Ruikang, Zeng, Chengjun, Liu, Liwu, Liu, Yanju, Leng, Jinsong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bristol IOP Publishing 01-02-2025
• Subjects: 4D printing; Addition polymerization; compression-twist coupling metamaterials; Configuration management; Design standards; digital logic gates; Energy absorption; Logic circuits; Mechanical properties; Mechanics (physics); Metamaterials; Modularity; multistable; Physical properties; pixel mechanical metamaterials; Pixels; Programming; Room temperature; Shape memory; shape memory polymer; Vibration
• ISSN: 2631-8644; 2631-7990
• DOI: 10.1088/2631-7990/ad884a

Metamaterials have exotic physical properties that rely on the construction of their underlying architecture. However, the physical properties of conventional mechanical metamaterials are permanently programmed into their periodic interconnect configurations, resulting in their lack of modularity, scalable fabrication, and programmability. Mechanical metamaterials typically exhibit a single extraordinary mechanical property or multiple extraordinary properties coupled together, making it difficult to realize multiple independent extraordinary mechanical properties. Here, the pixel mechanics metamaterials (PMMs) with multifunctional and reprogrammable properties are developed by arraying uncoupled constrained individual modular mechanics pixels (MPs). The MPs enable controlled conversion between two extraordinary mechanical properties (multistability and compression-torsion coupling deformation). Each MP exhibits 32 independent and reversible room temperature programming configurations. In addition, the programmability of metamaterials is further enhanced by shape memory polymer (SMP) and 4D printing, greatly enriching the design freedom. For the PMM consisting of m × n MPs, it has 32 ( m × n ) independent room temperature programming configurations. The application prospects of metamaterials in the vibration isolation device and energy absorption device with programmable performance have been demonstrated. The vibration isolation frequencies of the MP before and after programming were [0 Hz–5.86 Hz], [0 Hz–13.67 Hz and 306.64 Hz–365.23 Hz]. The total energy absorption of the developed PMM can be adjusted controllably in the range of 1.01 J–3.91 J. Six standard digital logic gates that do not require sustained external force are designed by controlling the closure between the modules. This design paradigm will facilitate the further development of multifunctional and reprogrammable metamaterials.
The developed metamaterial enabled a controlled transition between multistable and compression-torsion deformation. Scalable fabrication and modular metamaterials were designed utilizing mortise and tenon. The application prospects of metamaterials in energy absorption device were demonstrated.