A materials-centric strategy enables record specific energy absorption in additively manufactured aluminum-based lattice metamaterials

doi:10.1016/j.jmst.2025.12.021

J. Mater. Sci. Technol. ›› 2026, Vol. 267: 37-45.DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2025.12.021

• Research article • Previous Articles Next Articles

A materials-centric strategy enables record specific energy absorption in additively manufactured aluminum-based lattice metamaterials

Bingyu Xie^a,1, Xi He^a,1, Yuhe Huang^b, Zhifang Shi^a, Gan Li^c,*, Guanghui Feng^c, Enjie Dong^d, Hongxing Lu^a, Qiang Zhu^a,*

^aShenzhen Key Laboratory for Additive Manufacturing of High-performance Materials, Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China;
^bInstitute for Carbon Neutrality, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China;
^cDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China;
^dState Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China

Received:2025-09-02 Revised:2025-12-11 Accepted:2025-12-11 Published:2026-10-01 Online:2026-10-08
Contact: ^*E-mail addresses: gan.li@cityu.edu.hk (G. Li), zhuq@sustech.edu.cn(Q. Zhu)
About author:¹These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract

Abstract: Additively manufactured lightweight lattice metamaterials are widely employed in various advanced engineering fields due to their customizable architecture and excellent energy absorption. However, enhanced energy absorption and strength achieved in these metamaterials are mostly achieved by structural optimization. This study presents a novel approach using a high-performance heterostructured Al alloy to fabricate lattice metamaterials with record mechanical performance without any structural modification. The non-heat-treated face-centered cubic (FCC) architecture achieves unprecedented specific energy absorption (32.4 ± 0.4 J/g) and relative yield strength (7.4% ± 0.2%), substantially surpassing other Al-based metamaterials. Furthermore, the toughness and strength of the bulk alloys nearly determine the specific energy absorption and relative yield strength of body-centered cubic (BCC) and FCC metamaterials at both non-heat-treated and heat-treated conditions, which reveals that the intrinsic material properties govern deformation behavior in lattice metamaterials. This materials-centric strategy can offer novel insights for designing high-performance metamaterials, driving innovations in lightweight and energy-absorbing components in advanced engineering applications.

Key words: Additive manufacturing, Aluminium alloys, Lattice metamaterials, Mechanical properties, Energy absorption

Bingyu Xie, Xi He, Yuhe Huang, Zhifang Shi, Gan Li, Guanghui Feng, Enjie Dong, Hongxing Lu, Qiang Zhu. A materials-centric strategy enables record specific energy absorption in additively manufactured aluminum-based lattice metamaterials[J]. J. Mater. Sci. Technol., 2026, 267: 37-45.

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A materials-centric strategy enables record specific energy absorption in additively manufactured aluminum-based lattice metamaterials

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