Compression and buckling of microarchitectured Neovius-lattice

New materials with enhanced properties are of high scientific and industrial interests. Microarchitectured cellular materials possess robust mechanical properties such as high strength-to-weight ratios due to their architectures and size effect appearing in metals and ceramics. In this study, we investigate the mechanical properties of a novel microlattice based on the Neovius surface, a member of the triply periodic minimal surfaces. We show that the Neovius-microlattice exhibits high uniaxial modulus, energy absorption, and strength due to its architecture, which is free of self-intersecting elements. The polymeric Neovius-microlattice deforms locally by two mechanisms: buckling and plastic yielding, while the brittle fracture is not observed. Also, we show that the mechanical properties of the Neovius-microlattice can be enhanced further by coating it with a ceramic (alumina) layer. Additionally, the nature of instability in these architectured materials (at the micro-scale, microns in dimensions) is explored through experiments and computational modeling. The two primary instability mechanisms, out-of-plane and in-plane buckling, in cellular materials, are distinguished. Such a study can pave the path for designing cellular materials that are stiff, strong, light, and buckling-resistant.