Metamaterials are artificially structured materials designed with intricate three-dimensional (3D) geometries at the micro- and nanoscale. These architected materials exhibit extraordinary mechanical and physical properties that go beyond those found in nature or conventional materials. Over the past decade, they have emerged as a promising solution for engineering challenges where traditional materials have fallen short.

Despite their potential, the full capabilities of architected materials remain largely untapped due to challenges in design, fabrication, and characterization. Overcoming these hurdles—particularly improving scalability—could revolutionize multiple industries, including biomedical implants, sports equipment, automotive and aerospace, energy, and electronics.

“Advances in scalable fabrication, high-throughput testing, and AI-driven design optimization could transform materials science and mechanics, enabling smarter, more adaptive materials that redefine engineering and everyday technologies,” says Carlos Portela, the Robert N. Noyce Career Development Professor and assistant professor of mechanical engineering at MIT.

In a recent Nature Materials Perspective, Portela and James Surjadi, a postdoctoral researcher in mechanical engineering, explore the key challenges, opportunities, and future applications of mechanical metamaterials. Their paper, titled “Enabling Three-Dimensional Architected Materials Across Length Scales and Timescales,” discusses the need for innovation in fabricating these materials from the nanoscale to the macroscale, as well as improving their performance across different time scales—from slow deformation to dynamic impact. The authors emphasize that progress in this field will require interdisciplinary collaboration.

“We felt that, despite significant advancements over the last decade, our field still faces two major bottlenecks: difficulties in scaling up production and a limited understanding of material properties under dynamic conditions,” Portela explains.

Their paper summarizes the latest advancements in material design, fabrication, and characterization, while identifying critical knowledge gaps. It also outlines a roadmap for accelerating the discovery of architected materials with programmable properties. By integrating high-throughput experimentation and computational techniques, the researchers propose leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning to optimize metamaterial design.

“High-throughput miniaturized experiments, non-contact characterization, and benchtop extreme-condition methods will generate rich datasets for data-driven modeling, paving the way for the rapid discovery and optimization of metamaterials with unprecedented properties,” Surjadi adds.

At the core of the Portela Lab’s mission—“architected mechanics and materials across scales”—is the drive to bridge the gap between fundamental research and real-world applications. This Perspective reflects a vision the lab has been pursuing for the past four years, laying the groundwork for next-generation architected materials that could transform multiple industries.

Source: https://news.mit.edu/2025/mapping-future-metamaterials-0327