A New Type of Low Density Material: Shellular

A new type of cellular material named Shellular, in which cells are composed of a continuous, smooth-curved shell according to the minimal surface theory, is proposed. Shellular specimens are fabricated using 3D lithography with negative templates and hard coating, and exhibit superb strength and stiffness at densities lower than 10(-2) Mg m(-3), incorporating benefits from hierarchical structures and constituent materials with nanosized grains.