For the first time, researchers from The University of Texas at Austin and North Carolina State University have found a unique property in complex nanostructures. They have untangled the internal mechanics of the materials that make this possible.
The researchers found these properties in oxide-based "nanolattices," which are tiny, hollow materials similar in structure to sea sponges.
Yong Zhu is a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at NC State and one of the lead authors on the paper. This is the first time we have seen it in a 3D structure.
Anelasticity is a phenomenon in this case. The material reacts to stresses over time. The materials studied in this paper were bent. The anelastic behavior was caused by the tiny defects slowly returning to their initial positions.
The researchers found that when these defects move back and forth, they unlocked energy dissipation characteristics. Pressure wave can be dissipated thanks to this.
The material is so thin and light that it could be used as a shock absorber. It would make sense as part of a chip for electronics.
Chih-Hao Chang is an associate professor in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.
Control of these anelastic characteristics is the next step. The researchers will look at the geometry and experiment with different loading conditions to see how to improve the anelastic performance.
Chang and I- Te Chen are from UT Austin. Four people from NC State were on the team.
More information: I-Te Chen et al, Anelasticity in thin-shell nanolattices, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2022). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2201589119 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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