Sub-Unit-Cell Logic Governs Transport in TPMS Architectures

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Physics

Background:

• Next-generation systems need efficient multi-scale transport architectures.
• Triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) offer scalable geometries but lack clear performance links.
• Mechanistic understanding of TPMS topology-performance relationships is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a sub-unit-cell conduit framework for TPMS transport.
• To establish links between TPMS topology and transport efficiency.
• To enable rational design of high-performance TPMS materials.

Main Methods:

• Integrated crystallographic symmetry analysis with Voronoi tessellation.
• Developed a sub-unit-cell conduit framework to analyze TPMS.
• Derived predictive descriptors and a performance quotient.
• Fabricated and tested additively manufactured copper Fischer-Koch TPMS heat exchangers.

Main Results:

• TPMS can be resolved into intrinsic conduits whose geometry and connectivity depend on topology.
• Transport efficiency is governed by conduit uniformity and spatial density.
• The Fischer-Koch topology demonstrated significant improvements in heat-exchange efficiency.
• Experimental results validated model predictions, showing up to a 156-fold increase in efficiency.

Conclusions:

• The sub-unit-cell conduit framework provides a generalizable mechanistic basis for TPMS design.
• This approach enables rational design of TPMS-architected materials for diverse transport applications.
• The study advances understanding of TPMS for energy, thermal, and chemical systems.