Showing 1–8 of 8 results for author: Masania, K

Microstructure-Conditioned Surrogate Models for Graded Multiscale Optimization of Mycelium Composites

Authors: J. Storm, I. B. C. M. Rocha, S. Schyck, K. Masania, F. P. van der Meer

Abstract: Emerging sustainable materials increasingly rely on engineered hierarchy and microstructure to achieve control of their properties and mechanical behavior. Optimizing these materials with controllable microstructures requires efficient multiscale simulations. Data-driven surrogate models for the microscale can accelerate multiscale simulations, but require large amounts of data even for a fixed mi… ▽ More Emerging sustainable materials increasingly rely on engineered hierarchy and microstructure to achieve control of their properties and mechanical behavior. Optimizing these materials with controllable microstructures requires efficient multiscale simulations. Data-driven surrogate models for the microscale can accelerate multiscale simulations, but require large amounts of data even for a fixed microstructure. When a range of microstructures is considered, as is the case in multiscale optimization, even more data is needed to train a surrogate. To overcome this challenge, we condition a hybrid physics-data surrogate on microstructural variables using a hypernetwork. This approach enables accurate predictions of multiscale mechanical behavior for a mycelium-woodchip composite material, even when trained on small datasets. The conditioned surrogate makes multiscale simulations of functionally graded structures tractable, and we validate it against a full FE^2 simulation. We optimize a graded multiscale disk, and reduce the peak stress by 42% compared to one with a random microstructure. Then, we go one step further, conditioning the network directly on manufacturing variables that can have a complex influence on the microstructure. This is a practical route to engineer the microscale for desired macroscale behavior. This contribution highlights the benefits of microarchitectured structures and demonstrates how conditioned surrogate models enable their multiscale optimization, which will accelerate the development and design of future sustainable materials and structures. △ Less

Submitted 15 July, 2026; originally announced July 2026.

Towards Engineering Material Neural Networks

Authors: Charles de Kergariou, Hortense le Ferrand, Ali Momeni, Romain Fleury, Kunal Masania, Adam W Perriman, Fabrizio Scarpa

Abstract: Structures that capture functionality in the form of animate or intelligent machines have the potential to transform modern engineering applications. Animation and embedded intelligence are typically realised by integrating advanced capabilities such as reversibility, adaptive responses and learning directly into the materials themselves. Currently, the majority of adaptive material systems rely o… ▽ More Structures that capture functionality in the form of animate or intelligent machines have the potential to transform modern engineering applications. Animation and embedded intelligence are typically realised by integrating advanced capabilities such as reversibility, adaptive responses and learning directly into the materials themselves. Currently, the majority of adaptive material systems rely on predefined adaptive designs combined with in-service, electronics-based computing to dynamically modify the structural behaviour. However, structural configurations with interconnected adaptable nodes are able to approximate continuous functions, providing new possibilities and opportunities than classical metamaterials and computational materials. We discuss here the potential to design load-bearing engineering materials with trainable physical parameters and neural network-inspired morphologies, embedding intelligence directly into their structure, a concept we define as Engineering Material Neural Networks (EMNNs) as a subcategory of Physical Neural Networks. In this perspective, we first establish the foundational concept of EMNNs; we then detail the mechanical and multifunctional properties required for such structural configurations. Finally, we evaluate existing and emerging engineering materials that hold promise for enabling this innovative approach. Key material candidates for realising EMNNs include composites, architected, biological and engineering living materials. We also outline future directions in materials science and structural engineering for developing EMNNs. △ Less

Submitted 5 June, 2026; originally announced June 2026.

Comments: 37 pages, 8 pages

Piezoelectric truss metamaterials: data-driven design and additive manufacturing

Authors: Saurav Sharma, Satya K. Ammu, Prakash Thakolkaran, Jovana Jovanova, Kunal Masania, Siddhant Kumar

Abstract: In the development of active animate materials, electromechanical coupling is highly attractive to realize mechanoresponsive functionality. Piezoelectricity is the most utilized electromechanical phenomenon due to the wide availability of materials that display precise and reliable coupling. However, the inherent directionality of these materials is constrained by the symmetry of their crystal str… ▽ More In the development of active animate materials, electromechanical coupling is highly attractive to realize mechanoresponsive functionality. Piezoelectricity is the most utilized electromechanical phenomenon due to the wide availability of materials that display precise and reliable coupling. However, the inherent directionality of these materials is constrained by the symmetry of their crystal structure, which limits the choice of available properties in natural piezoelectric materials. A solution to alleviate this limitation could be to leverage geometry or architecture at the mesoscale. Here, we present an integrated framework to design and 3D-print piezoelectric truss metamaterials with customizable anisotropic responses. To explore the vast design space of truss metamaterials, we employ generative machine learning to optimize the topology and geometry of truss lattices and achieve target piezoelectricity. Then, we develop an in-gel-3D printing method to fabricate polymer-ceramic piezoelectric truss metamaterial structures using a composite slurry of photo-curable resin and lead-free piezoelectric particles. The ML framework discovers designs exhibiting unconventional behaviors, including auxetic, unidirectional, and omnidirectional piezoelectricity, while the additive manufacturing technique ensures shaping freedom and precision in fabricating these metamaterials at small scales. Our results show an improvement of over 48% in the specific hydrostatic piezoelectric coefficient in optimized metamaterials over bulk lead zirconate titanate (PZT). We successfully achieved metamaterials with higher transverse piezoelectric coupling coefficient than its longitudinal coefficient, which is a phenomenon that is rare in bulk materials. Our approach enables customizable piezoelectric responses and paves the way towards the development of a new generation of electro-active animate materials. △ Less

Submitted 6 October, 2025; v1 submitted 13 June, 2025; originally announced June 2025.

Comments: 30 pages, 11 figures

Journal ref: npj Metamaterials 1, 9 (2025)

Exceptional Mechanical Performance by Spatial Printing with Continuous Fiber: Curved Slicing, Toolpath Generation and Physical Verification

Authors: Guoxin Fang, Tianyu Zhang, Yuming Huang, Zhizhou Zhang, Kunal Masania, Charlie C. L. Wang

Abstract: This work explores a spatial printing method to fabricate continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites (CFRTPCs), which can achieve exceptional mechanical performance. For models giving complex 3D stress distribution under loads, typical planar-layer based fiber placement usually fails to provide sufficient reinforcement due to their orientations being constrained to planes. The effectiven… ▽ More This work explores a spatial printing method to fabricate continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites (CFRTPCs), which can achieve exceptional mechanical performance. For models giving complex 3D stress distribution under loads, typical planar-layer based fiber placement usually fails to provide sufficient reinforcement due to their orientations being constrained to planes. The effectiveness of fiber reinforcement could be maximized by using multi-axis additive manufacturing (MAAM) to better control the orientation of continuous fibers in 3D-printed composites. Here, we propose a computational approach to generate 3D toolpaths that satisfy two major reinforcement objectives: 1) following the maximal stress directions in critical regions and 2) connecting multiple load-bearing regions by continuous fibers. Principal stress lines are first extracted in an input solid model to identify critical regions. Curved layers aligned with maximal stresses in these critical regions are generated by computing an optimized scalar field and extracting its iso-surfaces. Then, topological analysis and operations are applied to each curved layer to generate a computational domain that preserves fiber continuity between load-bearing regions. Lastly, continuous fiber toolpaths aligned with maximal stresses are generated on each surface layer by computing an optimized scalar field and extracting its iso-curves. A hardware system with dual robotic arms is employed to conduct the physical MAAM tasks depositing polymer or fiber reinforced polymer composite materials by applying a force normal to the extrusion plane to aid consolidation. When comparing to planar-layer based printing results in tension, up to 644% failure load and 240% stiffness are observed on shapes fabricated by our spatial printing method. △ Less

Submitted 25 January, 2024; v1 submitted 28 November, 2023; originally announced November 2023.

Diamagnetic composites for high-Q levitating resonators

Authors: Xianfeng Chen, Satya K. Ammu, Kunal Masania, Peter G. Steeneken, Farbod Alijani

Abstract: Levitation offers extreme isolation of mechanical systems from their environment, while enabling unconstrained high-precision translation and rotation of objects. Diamagnetic levitation is one of the most attractive levitation schemes, because it allows stable levitation at room temperature without the need for a continuous power supply. However, dissipation by eddy currents in conventional diamag… ▽ More Levitation offers extreme isolation of mechanical systems from their environment, while enabling unconstrained high-precision translation and rotation of objects. Diamagnetic levitation is one of the most attractive levitation schemes, because it allows stable levitation at room temperature without the need for a continuous power supply. However, dissipation by eddy currents in conventional diamagnetic materials significantly limits the application potential of diamagnetically levitating systems. Here, we present a route towards high $Q$ macroscopic levitating resonators by substantially reducing eddy current damping using graphite particle based diamagnetic composites. We demonstrate resonators that feature quality factors $Q$ above 450,000 and vibration lifetimes beyond one hour, while levitating above permanent magnets in high vacuum at room temperature. The composite resonators have a $Q$ that is more than 400 times higher than that of diamagnetic graphite plates. By tuning the composite particle size and density, we investigate the dissipation reduction mechanism and enhance the $Q$ of the levitating resonators. Since their estimated acceleration noise is as low as some of the best superconducting levitating accelerometers at cryogenic temperatures, the high $Q$ and large mass of the presented composite resonators positions them as one of the most promising technologies for next generation ultra-sensitive room temperature accelerometers. △ Less

Submitted 22 August, 2022; originally announced August 2022.

The science case and challenges of space-borne sub-millimeter interferometry

Authors: Leonid I. Gurvits, Zsolt Paragi, Ricardo I. Amils, Ilse van Bemmel, Paul Boven, Viviana Casasola, John Conway, Jordy Davelaar, M. Carmen Díez-González, Heino Falcke, Rob Fender, Sándor Frey, Christian M. Fromm, Juan D. Gallego-Puyol, Cristina García-Miró, Michael A. Garrett, Marcello Giroletti, Ciriaco Goddi, José L. Gómez, Jeffrey van der Gucht, José Carlos Guirado, Zoltán Haiman, Frank Helmich, Ben Hudson, Elizabeth Humphreys , et al. (29 additional authors not shown)

Abstract: Ultra-high angular resolution in astronomy has always been an important vehicle for making fundamental discoveries. Recent results in direct imaging of the vicinity of the supermassive black hole in the nucleus of the radio galaxy M87 by the millimeter VLBI system Event Horizon Telescope and various pioneering results of the Space VLBI mission RadioAstron provided new momentum in high angular reso… ▽ More Ultra-high angular resolution in astronomy has always been an important vehicle for making fundamental discoveries. Recent results in direct imaging of the vicinity of the supermassive black hole in the nucleus of the radio galaxy M87 by the millimeter VLBI system Event Horizon Telescope and various pioneering results of the Space VLBI mission RadioAstron provided new momentum in high angular resolution astrophysics. In both mentioned cases, the angular resolution reached the values of about 10-20 microrcseconds. Further developments toward at least an order of magnitude "sharper" values are dictated by the needs of astrophysical studies and can only be achieved by placing millimeter and submillimeter wavelength interferometric systems in space. A concept of such the system, called Terahertz Exploration and Zooming-in for Astrophysics (THEZA), has been proposed in the framework of the ESA Call for White Papers for the Voayage 2050 long term plan in 2019. In the current paper we discuss several approaches for addressing technological challenges of the THEZA concept. In particular, we consider a novel configuration of a space-borne millimeter/sub-millimeter antenna which might resolve several bottlenecks in creating large precise mechanical structures. The paper also presents an overview of prospective space-qualified technologies of low-noise analogue front-end instrumentation for millimeter/sub-millimeter telescopes, data handling and processing. The paper briefly discusses approaches to the interferometric baseline state vector determination and synchronisation and heterodyning system. In combination with the original ESA Voyage 2050 White Paper, the current work sharpens the case for the next generation microarcsceond-level imaging instruments and provides starting points for further in-depth technology trade-off studies. △ Less

Submitted 27 April, 2022; v1 submitted 19 April, 2022; originally announced April 2022.

Comments: The paper on 29 pages contains 12 figures, accepted for publication in Acta Astronautica, based on the presentation at the 72nd IAC, Dubai, UAE, October 2021

Journal ref: Acta Astronautica 196 (2022) 314

Three-dimensional Printing of Mycelium Hydrogels into Living Complex Materials

Authors: Silvan Gantenbein, Emanuele Colucci, Julian Käch, Etienne Trachsel, Fergal B. Coulter, Patrick A. Rühs, Kunal Masania, André R. Studart

Abstract: Biological living materials, such as animal bones and plant stems, are able to self-heal, regenerate, adapt and make decisions under environmental pressures. Despite recent successful efforts to imbue synthetic materials with some of these remarkable functionalities, many emerging properties of complex adaptive systems found in biology remain unexplored in engineered living materials. Here, we rep… ▽ More Biological living materials, such as animal bones and plant stems, are able to self-heal, regenerate, adapt and make decisions under environmental pressures. Despite recent successful efforts to imbue synthetic materials with some of these remarkable functionalities, many emerging properties of complex adaptive systems found in biology remain unexplored in engineered living materials. Here, we report on a three-dimensional printing approach that harnesses the emerging properties of fungal mycelium to create living complex materials that self-repair, regenerate and adapt to the environment while fulfilling an engineering function. Hydrogels loaded with the fungus Ganoderma lucidum are 3D printed into lattice architectures to enable mycelial growth in a balanced exploration and exploitation pattern that simultaneously promotes colonization of the gel and bridging of air gaps. To illustrate the potential of such living complex materials, we 3D print a robotic skin that is mechanically robust, self-cleaning, and able to autonomously regenerate after damage. △ Less

Submitted 2 March, 2022; originally announced March 2022.

Hierarchical porous materials made by stereolithographic printing of photo-curable emulsions

Authors: Nicole Kleger, Clara Minas, Patrick Bosshard, Iacopo Mattich, Kunal Masania, André R. Studart

Abstract: Porous materials are relevant for a broad range of technologies from catalysis and filtration, to tissue engineering and lightweight structures. Controlling the porosity of these materials over multiple length scales often leads to enticing new functionalities and higher efficiency but has been limited by manufacturing challenges and the poor understanding of the properties of hierarchical structu… ▽ More Porous materials are relevant for a broad range of technologies from catalysis and filtration, to tissue engineering and lightweight structures. Controlling the porosity of these materials over multiple length scales often leads to enticing new functionalities and higher efficiency but has been limited by manufacturing challenges and the poor understanding of the properties of hierarchical structures. Here, we report an experimental platform for the design and manufacturing of hierarchical porous materials via the stereolithographic printing of stable photo-curable Pickering emulsions. In the printing process, the micron-sized droplets of the emulsified resins work as soft templates for the incorporation of microscale porosity within sequentially photo-polymerized layers. The light patterns used to polymerize each layer on the building stage further generate controlled pores with bespoke three-dimensional geometries at the millimetre scale. Using this combined fabrication approach, we create architectured lattices with mechanical properties tuneable over several orders of magnitude and large complex-shaped inorganic objects with unprecedented porous designs. △ Less

Submitted 9 August, 2021; originally announced August 2021.