Metamaterials Gain Strength From Web-Like Internal Beams
Researchers at MIT and Northeastern 3D printed scale-rich metamaterials whose network-inspired designs resisted impacts and compression better than standard lattices.
Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Materials Science
MIT and Northeastern researchers 3D printed metamaterials with web-like internal beams. Samples withstood impacts and compression better than standard lattice and honeycomb designs.
Why it matters
Standard repeating structures fail once part of them is punctured or cracked, because identical cells around the damage give way in the same manner. The mix of beam sizes in the new designs distributes damage and absorbs energy across the network.
The 3D printed polymer samples measured roughly the size of a credit card, with beams spanning from microns to centimeters, and were tested against standard lattice and honeycomb samples. The extraction does not provide measured force or energy values, and it is not reported how the designs would perform at larger scales.
The players
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
MIT is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, known for its engineering and materials science programs.
Northeastern University
Northeastern University is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, with a cooperative education model and active materials research.
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university in London, widely recognized for its engineering and science research.
The details
The team generated the web-like patterns with an algorithm that draws one line at a random angle across the design, then adds shorter and thinner lines from random points until each hits an edge or an earlier line. Two settings, the thickness of the first line and the rate at which lines thin, control the pattern and the material's stiffness. In a second test, a material with a denser web of beams at its edges cushioned a fragile object embedded at its center.
Timeline
• Article on the MIT and Northeastern metamaterial research was published on November 12, 2026.
The Big Picture
Standard lattice and honeycomb metamaterials rely on identical repeating cells, a design that the new network-inspired structures extend by varying beam size to contain damage. The result points toward a shift in how repeating-pattern materials are engineered for resilience.
The team sees potential uses in helmets, packaging and armor that must absorb impacts. The design could also shape acoustic lenses, structures that focus sound or vibrations.
The takeaway
Materials that spread damage across a network of varied beams can stay intact where repeating identical cells would fail. Watch for follow-up work on how these structures perform at larger scales.
Further reading
Explore more research on Materials Science to see how engineers design structures that absorb impacts.
