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Bulk spinodal-architected compositionally complex alloy with enhanced energy absorption across a wide temperature
Hao Gong1, Yushan Geng1,2, Qing Wang3
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
Nature Communications
|May 28, 2026
Summary
New architected alloys offer superior mechanical energy absorption. This breakthrough addresses limitations in current materials, providing scalable, high-performance solutions for demanding applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Mechanical Engineering
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Bulk mechanical energy-absorbing materials are essential for engineering applications.
- Existing materials like 3D-printed lattices and foams have limitations in scalability and performance (strength-ductility trade-off).
Purpose of the Study:
- To overcome limitations of current energy-absorbing materials.
- To develop scalable, high-performance architected alloys for demanding conditions.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of bulk architected alloys using electrochemical dealloying.
- Utilized machine learning to identify optimal compositionally complex spinodal alloys.
- Characterized hierarchical structural architecture across multiple length scales.
Main Results:
- Achieved energy absorption capacities of ~106 MJ/m³ in bulk and ~305 MJ/m³ in micro-samples.
- Demonstrated retained performance from room temperature up to 873 K.
- Engineered materials with hierarchical structures from atomic to macro scales.
Conclusions:
- The developed approach enables the design of scalable, high-performance architected materials.
- Multi-scale structural integration leads to synergistic deformation and enhanced energy absorption.
- This method offers a viable strategy for creating advanced energy-absorbing materials for extreme environments.
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