Schwarzites and schwarzynes based load-bear resistant 3D printed hierarchical structures

The unique topological features, such as complex and hierarchical porosity exhibited in nature have been the basis to create new materials and/or structures. Most studies have been focused on regular porous structures but hierarchical porous ones have not been yet fully investigated for stable structural designs. In this work, we have proposed and tested a new approach to create hierarchical porous structures, in which the mass density varies from the center to the borders, i.e, a radial gradient. To create these new structures we exploited the topology of two carbon-based families with different pore sizes, the schwarzites, and schwarzynes. We created fully atomistic models that were translated into macroscale ones that were then 3D printed. The mechanical behavior of the gradient structures was investigated by molecular dynamics simulations and mechanical compression tests of the printed models. Our results show that their mechanical response can be engineered (for instance, in terms of energy absorption, ballistic performance, etc.) and can outperform their corresponding density uniform structures.

Automated summary

This study proposes and tests a new approach to create hierarchical porous structures with a radial gradient in mass density. By exploiting the topology of two carbon-based families with different pore sizes, atomistic models were created and 3D printed. Simulations and mechanical tests show that the mechanical response of these gradient structures can be engineered and outperform their density uniform counterparts.