트위스트 버클링이 초고탄성 키랄 구조를 열어줄 수 있다

A team of researchers from China and the US has introduced a new method to improve the performance of high-enthalpy elastic materials utilizing a technique called twist buckling. The new design could allow for the creation of lighter and more capable metamaterials. Here’s what you need to know.

고엔탈피 탄성 메타물질이란 무엇이며 왜 중요한가

High-enthalpy elastic metamaterials are crucial ways in which engineers can absorb shock, improve load-bearing capability, and store mechanical energy. These materials are a critical component in today’s high-tech devices.

One common example of this concept would be visualizing a structure made of straight rods. Now, visualize the same structure with the rods twisted slightly. The slight twist provides the rods with more impact resistance and load capacity. As such, high-enthalpy elastic materials offer impact resistance and motion agility from a lightweight structure that can be customized for a wide array of applications.

차세대 메타물질이 직면한 과제

There are several problems with high-enthalpy elastic metamaterials at the moment that must be addressed to improve their adoption. For one, they require engineers to build structures that have opposing properties.

These materials need to be able to handle stress, but remain stiff in certain positions. They need to be strong, but soft enough to absorb impact without damage. Additionally, these structures can be designed on the nanoscale, adding to their complexity. Thankfully, a team of Chinese and American engineers has introduced a novel method to create ultra-performance chiral structures using a concept called twist buckling.

트위스트 버클링 소개: 메타물질 설계의 게임 체인저

The study titled “Large recoverable elastic energy in chiral metamaterials via twist buckling”¹ sheds light on how to create high-enthalpy elastic metamaterials via freely rotatable chiral metacells. These cells utilize chiral structures that incorporate twisting, compression, and bending to enable a new level of impact resistance and resilience.

출처 – Nature

기계공학에서 키랄 구조 이해하기

Engineers noted that chiral structures were the ideal location to start their enhancements. The term chirality refers to objects that can’t be superimposed onto their mirror image. The easiest way to visualize this concept is to think of your hand. While your hand will reflect in the mirror, it can’t be rotated in any way that can make the reflection match its image.

There are several types of chiral structures in use today, including chiral molecules, Stereogenic Centers, Axial Chirality, and Planar Chirality. Each of these chiral structures can’t be superimposed on its mirror image due to its geometry or axis. Notably, Chiral structures offer some unique advantages, such as the ability to have a normal and deformation mode.

트위스트 버클링이 에너지 저장 및 복원성을 향상시키는 방법

In a deformational mode, chiral structures can store lots of energy while maintaining their structural integrity. Part of the way scientists improve the performance of the deformation mode is through tensional buckling deformation strategies.

비틀림 버클링 변형

Years of research have led engineers to learn that by coupling axial deformation and twisting, they can improve their chiral structures’ capabilities. Interestingly, the engineers utilize the chiral structure itself to trigger the deformation.

트위스트 버클링

Now, the concept has been taken even further with the introduction of twist buckling. This structure utilizes mirror-symmetric metacells. These structures have chiral arms that integrate dual coaxial tori at a distance. These units have rods extending from the chiral structure that ensure it rotates at the proper angle when pressure is applied.

트위스트 버클링 이후 거동

As part of the research, engineers created several chiral structures and then studied their post-buckling behavior. This step allows them to make some critical distinctions. For one, they were able to fully capture the four deformation modes in each rod. These modes are in-plane bending, out-of-plane bending, twisting, and compression.

They noticed that in many chiral designs, the internal core remains vacant as the structure becomes more tightly packed. They also discovered that the chiral rod’s failure point is commonly at the twisted ribbon region on the rod surface. They then registered this data and incorporated it into their micropolar elasticity framework.

항상 더 좋은 것은 아니다

The engineers also noted that traditional rods could store more energy if they were utilized to the point prior to failure, when compared to the twisted rod design. However, when they fail, the twisted rods are able to continue without imperfections, avoiding catastrophic failure.

실험적 증명: 3D 프린팅 키랄 구조가 혁신적인 결과를 제공

To test their theory, the engineers created several different chiral structures. They utilize 3D printers to trial multiple rods, beams, and plate-based specimens. These options were created using either rubber or TC4 titanium alloy.

트위스트 버클링 테스트 결과

Keenly, the test results demonstrate that chiral twist buckling actions matched the scientists’ analytical predictions. Additionally, the team reported massive performance improvements. Specifically, non-optimized chiral metamaterials improved buckling strength by 5–10 times, enthalpy by a max of 160 times, and increased energy per mass by up to 32 times.

Interestingly, the engineers noted that both in-plane and out-of-plane bending follow the 1/2-order buckling mode set out by the team. Also, the chiral rods can store up to 4 times the energy of nonchiral options.

트위스트 버클링의 장점

There are many benefits that the twist buckling study brings to the market. For one, it improves the performance of chiral structures, which are an ideal component of next-generation metamaterials and advanced manufacturing methods. The new design offers engineers a way to incorporate failure into their designs. Imagine a device that would buckle smoothly with increasing load, versus snapping or suddenly bending. These devices could help prevent catastrophic failure while offering the ability to be made at a nanoscale.

트위스트 버클링 메타물질의 실제 적용 사례

There are many applications for these advanced twist buckling chiral structures. They offer more resilience and can protect against unwanted pressure while threatening their deformed structure and energy. As such, multiple industries rely on these units. Here are some of the applications for chiral structures today.

의료

The medical field will utilize this technology to improve multiple aspects of the market. These structures can be utilized to make sensitive biosensors. These sensors can alert health care professionals to ailments and other issues long before other methods.

Another use for chiral structures is in drug delivery. Researchers have created chiral structures that can target certain types of cells. These units enable healthcare professionals to improve treatments in hard-to-access areas like the kidney or liver, which are constantly flushing their contents.

산업

There are several industrial uses for chiral structures. For one, they have been used as catalysts to help boost chemical reactions. Chiral structures are also a critical component of nanotechnology. Nanotubes rely on chiral structures to ensure their stiffness at such a tiny scale.

메타물질의 미래: 트위스트 버클링 이후는?

A team of researchers from multiple high-level institutions contributed to this study, including the National Key Laboratory of Equipment State Sensing and Smart Support, College of Intelligent Science and Technology, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China. Specifically, the report lists Xin Fang, Dianlong Yu, Jihong Wen & Yifan Dai as the main authors with support from Yifan Dai, Matthew R. Begley, Huajian Gao, and Peter Gumbsch.

트위스트 버클링 미래

The engineers will now seek to deepen their understanding of chiral structures and twist buckling. They will integrate new materials and utilize computer simulations to test other methods and approaches. The goal is to create ultra-performance chiral structure at the same or lower cost than today’s options.

나노기술 분야에 투자하기

There are a lot of companies involved in the nanotechnology sector. This hi-tech market is seen as the future of many of the most advanced industries in the world. As such, billions of dollars continue to go into R&D and manufacturing. Here is one company that has remained at the forefront of the nanotech movement.

IBM

IBM (IBM ) entered the market in 1911 as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR). The company changed its name in 1924 to International Business Machines (IBM) to reflect the growing technology of the time. Since its launch, IBM has become one of the most recognized companies globally.

This massive conglomerate has been behind some of the largest innovations in recent times. It’s based in New York and has operations in 170 countries. Notably, IBM has divisions that cover infrastructure services, software, IT services, and hardware.

IBM remains a pioneer in the biotech sector. It has put forth several patents and continues to seek out ways to integrate the tech into their products. Those looking for a proven and long-time innovator in the nanotech sector should do more research into IBM.

IBM 최신 소식

키랄 트위스트 버클링: 더 강하고 똑똑한 소재 시대를 열다

The average person may never understand how important chiral structures are to today’s world. However, it must be noted that the engineers in this study have opened the door for additional adoption and innovations. Their hard work has led to several revelations that are sure to help make the most of this technology.

lp 기술을 최대한 활용하십시오. Learn about other cool nanotech now.

참조 연구:

^{1. Fang, X., Yu, D., Wen, J., Dai, Y., Begley, M. R., Gao, H., & Gumbsch, P. (2025). 키랄 메타물질에서 트위스트 버클링을 통한 큰 회복 가능한 탄성 에너지. Nature, 639, 639–645. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08658-z}