Novel 4D-printed multi-stable metamaterials: programmability of force-displacement behaviour and deformation sequence

The unique properties of metamaterials are determined by the configuration and spatial arrangement of artificially designed unit structures. However, the configuration and mechanical properties of conventional metamaterials are challenging to reverse and adjust. Based on curved beams, two types of novel three-dimensional (3D) multi-stable metamaterials with reconfigurable deformation and tunable mechanical properties are designed and fabricated using a four-dimensional (4D) printing method. The effects of temperature and curved-beam thickness on the force-displacement curves and multi-stable snapping sequence of the 3D multi-stable metamaterials are investigated by finite-element analysis (FEA) and experiments. In addition, based on the designed four-branch multi-stable metamaterials, three- and six-branched multi-stable structures are designed by changing the number of curved-beam branches. It is shown that, owing to shape memory effects, the 3D multi-stable metamaterials can realize mechanical programmability, and the multi-stable deformation sequence can be precisely regulated by varying the temperature and curved-beam thickness. These 4D-printed multi-stable metamaterials provide valuable contributions to the design of programmable multi-stable metamaterials and their applications in soft robots and intelligent structures. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Current developments in elastic and acoustic metamaterials science (Part 1)’.