Architected microlattices for structural and functional applications: Lessons from nature

Making periodic architected microlattices is an important engineering approach to acquiring materials with high specific stiffness and strength as well as optical, phononic, microfluidic, and many other unusual properties. Architected microlattices also occur naturally in biological material systems, which often exhibit special properties superior to their synthetic counterparts. Here, we report a unique dual-scale single crystalline structure that was recently found in the starfish ossicles and discuss the lessons we learned from this special dual-scale microlattice among other architected microlattices in nature, which include (1) the architecture design of microlattices for improved strength, toughness, and damage tolerance; (2) the dual-scale (material scale and microlattice scale) concurrent design for extraordinary mechanical, piezoelectric, thermoelectric, and multifunctional properties; and (3) the bio-inspired additive manufacturing strategies. The learned knowledge opens new pathways to produce novel architected microlattices by simultaneously optimizing the material- and structural-level anisotropies and achieving multiscale functional synergy.