Extreme Mechanics Letters 67 (2024) 102124

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Extreme Mechanics Letters

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/eml

Mechanical metamaterial design with the customized low-frequency

bandgap and negative Poisson’s ratio via topology optimization
Yuhao Bao a, b, Zishen Wei a, Zhiyuan Jia a, b, Dazhi Wang c, Xiaopeng Zhang a, b, *, Zhan Kang a, b
a
Department of Engineering Mechanics, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
b
State Key Laboratory of Structural Analysis, Optimization and CAE Software for Industrial Equipment, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
c
School of Mechanical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: The precise control of both the mechanical deformation and wave propagation characteristics of metamaterial
Mechanical metamaterial through design holds significant importance and presents a challenging task. This paper proposes a novel two-
Auxetic metamaterial stage topological optimization design method for customizing both negative Poisson’s ratio and locally reso­
Local resonance
nant bandgap in the mechanical metamaterial. In the optimized model, the negative Poisson’s ratio structure is
Customized performance
Topology optimization
firstly obtained by optimizing the material distribution within the matrix region, then the metamaterial with the
customized negative Poisson’s ratio and bandgap range is obtained through the second stage optimization. In the
analysis of the metamaterial unit cell, the topology-dependent Poisson’s ratio is calculated based on the
equivalent elastic matrix obtained through the homogenization method. The range of bandgap is estimated using
the effective mass analytical model of the spring-mass system. Thus, the range of bandgap is determined by only
a few geometric parameters instead of topological structure under given assumptions. The customized bandgap
ranges can be extended by introducing more resonators into the unit cell and combining different unit cells into
an assembled structure. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method.

1. Introduction
Mechanical metamaterials refer to artificially designed structures
with special and extraordinary mechanical properties, including nega­
tive Poisson’s ratio [1–3], bandgap characteristics [4–6], pentamode
metamaterials [7,8], and negative thermal expansion metamaterials [9,
10].
Negative Poisson’s ratio metamaterials, also known as auxetic met­
amaterials, have advantages over traditional materials in shear resis­
tance [11], energy absorption [12], and shock absorption [13]. Since the
artificial negative Poisson’s ratio metamaterial was firstly reported by
Lakes [1] in 1987, it has aroused great interest among researchers. Based
on several mechanisms, negative Poisson’s ratio metamaterials include
reentrant structures with special concave angles [14–17], chiral struc­
tures [18–20], rotating rigid structures [21–23] and folded structures
[24,25]. Customized Poisson’s ratio metamaterials like zero Poisson’s
ratio and negative Poisson’s ratio metamaterials have potential appli­
cation in the field of medical devices [26], sensors [27], protective
equipment [28] and soft robot [29]. For instance, Liu et al. [30]
designed a zero Poisson’s ratio metamaterial based on shape memory
polymers that can sense temperature changes and switch mechanical
properties. Yang et al. [31] studied the mechanical response of elastic
solids with parallel double U-shaped crack arrays and proposed the
design, analysis, and manufacturing of the zero Poisson’s ratio meta­
materials. Hewage et al. [32] proposed a scalable mechanical meta­
material which exhibits both negative stiffness and negative Poisson’s
ratio responses.
As lattice structures, auxetic metamaterials often have bandgap
characteristics that suppress the propagation of waves in specific fre­
quency ranges besides the deformation characteristics caused by the
negative Poisson’s ratio. The bandgap characteristics can enhance the
performance of negative Poisson’s ratio metamaterial, thereby
improving their effectiveness in shock absorption and impact mitigation
[33]. This has prompted some scholars to investigate the bandgap per­
formance of negative Poisson’s ratio metamaterials [34–36]. Wei and
Alessandro [37,38] designed auxetic metamaterials that can change the
bandgap through mechanical deformation, achieving a combination of
the bandgap and the auxetic characteristics. Expanding on this concept,
a new hierarchical structure that has a wider and lower frequency
bandgap is proposed based on the re-entrant honeycomb structure [39].

* Corresponding author at: Department of Engineering Mechanics, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China.
E-mail address: zhangxiaopeng@dlut.edu.cn (X. Zhang).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eml.2024.102124
Received 20 September 2023; Received in revised form 17 November 2023; Accepted 5 January 2024
Available online 10 January 2024
2352-4316/© 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Y. Bao et al.
Additionally, auxetic structures with bandgap characteristic have been
applied in industries such as aerospace [40–42], automotive engineering
[43,44], and personal protective equipment [45,46]. The bandgap in
these applications, typically induced by Bragg scattering, exhibits sub­
optimal effectiveness in isolating low-frequency vibrations. Bandgaps
based on local resonance offer improved performance in the attenuation
of low-frequency vibrations. Based on locally resonant metamaterials,
various concept configurations have been proposed for potential appli­
cations in tunable bandgap [47], wave focusing [48] and directional
waveguide [49]. Compared to Bragg scattering, local resonance can
achieve the lower frequency bandgap, which is advantageous for
low-frequency noise reduction in engineering. By incorporating cores
with large mass into the structures with negative Poisson’s ratios, it
becomes possible to design novel high-performance auxetic meta­
materials featuring locally resonant bandgaps [33,50]. In
three-dimensional space, a plate-like structure that possesses both
low-frequency bandgap and auxetic properties is designed by affixing
cylinders to the auxetic structure plate [51]. Additionally, the range of
the bandgap can be controlled by stretching or compressing the bottom
plate.
Simultaneously optimizing the design of metamaterials with nega­
tive Poisson’s ratio and bandgap characteristics poses significant chal­
lenges to the optimization problem, traditional heuristic design or
parameter optimization methods often struggle to yield optimal con­
figurations due to the constrained design space. As a powerful tool for
innovative design, structural topology optimization technology [52,53]
can significantly expand design possibilities and has already been suc­
cessfully applied in the design of mechanical and multi-physical meta­
materials, yielding a series of excellent metamaterial configurations
with negative Poisson’s ratio [54–56], photonic crystal [57], phononic
crystal [58], and extreme thermal expansion [59]. In auxetic meta­
material design, various deformation mechanisms and Poisson’s ratios
have been accurately tailored using different topology optimization
approaches, such as the elemental density method [60,61], independent
point-wise density method [62], level-set method [54,63], isogeometric
method [64], and so on. By flexibly defining objective functions and
constraints, topological optimization can also offer a range of meta­
material designs with distinct bandgap characteristics [65,66]. For
example, Zhang et al. [67] used a topology optimization method to
achieve the design of acoustic metamaterials with full and directional
bandgap. Dalklint et al. [68] obtained the acoustic metamaterial designs
with the desired dispersion-deformation relationship. Qiu et al. [69]
designed the acoustic metamaterial with a maximized bandgap using a
joint topology optimization. In addition to phononic crystal topological
optimization designs based on the Bragg scattering mechanism, some
bandgap metamaterials utilizing the locally resonant mechanism have
also been devised [70]. An effective approach to achieving the maxi­
mization of the relative bandgap of resonant units within the given
matrix and core is by designing the coating area of resonant unit cells
using the equivalent mass model of local resonance through the topol­
ogy optimization framework [71].
To achieve complex optimization designs, some two-stage methods
are employed to solve optimization problems. Zhang et al. [65] pro­
posed a two-stage topology optimization methodology that integrates
independent continuous mapping and surrogate modeling techniques
for the design of multifunctional metamaterials, characterized by their
simultaneous negative thermal expansion and phononic bandgap
properties. Carolyn Conner et al. [72] proposed a two-stage optimiza­
tion method to design honeycomb metamaterials that simultaneously
consider stiffness and thermal dissipation performance. Zhang et al. [73]
introduced a two-stage topological design methodology aimed at the
precise control of the phononic crystal structure. In this study, we utilize
a two-stage optimization strategy tailored for the design of multifunc­
tional metamaterials, with the specific objective of achieving both a
negative Poisson’s ratio and a low-frequency bandgap. To the best of the
author’s understanding, there is an absence of a two-stage optimization
2
Extreme Mechanics Letters 67 (2024) 102124
approach dedicated exclusively to the simultaneous design of materials
exhibiting a negative Poisson’s ratio and a low-frequency bandgap.
This paper proposes a new two-stage optimization method to design
the metamaterials that possess both the customized negative Poisson’s
ratio and the customized low-frequency bandgap range. In the optimi­
zation model, the unit cells with negative Poisson’s ratio are first
determined by optimizing the topological distribution of the matrix
material region, and the customized negative Poisson’s ratio and
bandgap range are then simultaneously obtained through the second
stage topology optimization. In the analysis of metamaterial properties,
the Poisson’s ratio closely associated with the topological configuration
is calculated through a homogenization approach based on finite
element analysis. In order to induce a low-frequency bandgap, one or
more lead cores surrounded by silicone rubber coatings are strategically
introduced into the matrix material within the unit cell. According to the
effective mass density of the locally resonant unit cell, the influencing
factors of the bandgap range are analyzed with several shape-
independent parameters. By adopting this approach, the factors influ­
encing Poisson’s ratio and bandgap are effectively separated, signifi­
cantly reducing the complexity of topology optimization. As a result, the
optimization problem can converge more smoothly and is more likely to
yield metamaterials with customized Poisson’s ratio and bandgap
ranges. Several numerical examples with the customized negative
Poisson’s ratio and bandgap range are presented. The examples
demonstrate the efficacy of the method in achieving the desired cus­
tomization of both the bandgap and Poisson’s ratio.
The subsequent sections of this paper are structured as follows. In
Section 2, we provide an introduction to homogenization, bandgap
theory, and the finite element method. Following that, Section 3 outlines
the topology optimization framework, the metamaterials optimization
process, and sensitivity analysis. Section 4 presents a range of numerical
examples showcasing customized negative Poisson’s ratio and bandgap
ranges. Additionally, two methods for extending the customized
bandgap range are outlined. Lastly, Section 5 concludes with a
summary.
2. Homogenization and locally resonant bandgap theory
The purpose of this study is to design mechanical metamaterials with
customized negative Poisson’s ratio and bandgap range. As shown in
Fig. 1, the combination of negative Poisson’s ratio and locally resonant
bandgap is achieved by incorporating the local resonance into the
negative Poisson’s ratio metamaterial. To obtain the Poisson’s ratio of
the unit cell, the homogenization theory is used to calculate the equiv­
alent elastic matrix. The band structures are derived based on the
Floquet-Bloch theorem, and the locally resonant unit cell is simplified
into a spring-mass system to illustrate the mechanism of bandgap
generation.
2.1. Analysis of Poisson’s ratios based on homogenization theory
In the context of the two-dimensional problem, the unit cell’s Pois­
son’s ratio is determined using the homogenization theory:
EH12 EH21
μ1 = H , μ2 = H (1)
E11 E22
where μ1 and μ2 denote the Poisson’s ratios in two mutually perpen­
dicular directions. EH
ij are elements of the equivalent elastic matrix. The
expressions, according to the asymptotic homogenization theory [74],
are as follows:
∫
1
EHij = εA(i) Epq εA(j)
q dY (2)
|Y| Y p
Where Y is the lattice constant, EH
ij and Epq represent the equivalent
Y. Bao et al. Extreme Mechanics Letters 67 (2024) 102124

Fig. 1. Dual-functional mechanical metamaterial created by combining negative Poisson’s ratio metamaterial and locally resonant metamaterial.

elastic matrix and the real elastic matrix, respectively, and εp

A(i)
corre­ boundaries. And the displacement values of the boundary nodes should
sponds the strain field when applying prescribed displacements wkj on satisfy U4 = U3 + W, where W represents the vector of specified
the unit cell boundary. Based on the unit strain field and periodic boundary displacement wkj .
boundary conditions, the prescribed displacements are quantified, with
their expression outlined as follows: 2.2. Bandgap analysis with mass-spring model
wkj = ε0j Δykj , Δykj = yk+ k−
j − yj (3)
In this study, the focus is on the locally resonant bandgap where the
k+ k− phenomenon of negative effective mass density arises during the prop­
where ε0j is the two-dimensional unit test strain field, y and y
agation of elastic waves. For the first-order bandgap of locally resonant
represent a pair of opposite edges in the unit cell, and the subscript j
unit cells, it is simplified into a spring-mass system shown in Fig. 3.
represents the coordinate directions. For any given parallelepiped base
The effective mass density of local resonance is calculated by
cell model, Δykj is constant. In the case of Fig. 2, we have Δy11 = y01 , Δy12 = applying a harmonic external force Feiωt. The derived equation of mo­
0, Δy21 = 0 and Δy22 = y02 . The details of derivation can be found in [75]. tion is as follows:
The finite element method (FEM) expression of Eq. (2) is as follows: [ ][ ] [ ][ ] [ ]
M1 0 Ü 1 K − K U1 0
+ = (6)
1 ∑ n
( A(i) )T 0 M0 Ü 0 − K K U0 Fe iωt
EHij = u Ke uA(j) (4)
|Y| e=1 e e

where U0 and U1 correspond the displacement of the mass M0 and the

where
A(i)
ue and Ke are the element displacement solutions and element mass M1, respectively. So, the effective mass density of the mass-spring
stiffness matrix, respectively, and n is the number of elements. system is as follows:
( )
Due to the periodic boundary conditions and the specified boundary F K/M0
displacements, the general finite element equilibrium equation ΚU = F Meff = = 1+ M0 (7)
Ü 0 K/M1 − ω2
is further expanded and simplified as:
[ ][ ] The lower and upper bounds of the bandgap are as follows:
K22 K23 + K24 U2 √̅̅̅̅̅̅ √̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅
K32 + K42 K33 + K34 + K43 + K44 U3 1 K 1 K K
[ ] [ ] flow = , fup = + (8)
2π M1 2π M1 M0
K21 K24
= − U1 − W (5)
K31 + K41 K34 + K44
which implies that the range of the bandgap is determined by three
equivalent parameters: the effective stiffness of the coating K; the mass
where degrees of freedom (DOFs) are separated into four parts: subscript
of the matrix M0; the mass of the core M1. Especially, the lower bandgap
1 denotes the DOFs of the corner nodes with prescribed displacement
bound depends solely on the coating’s stiffness and the core’s mass.
U1 , subscript 2 represents the DOFs of the interior nodes, subscript 3
Once the lower bound flow is established, the upper bound fup depends
represents the DOFs of nodes on the left and bottom boundaries, and
solely on the mass M0 of the matrix.
subscript 4 represents the DOFs of the nodes on the right and top
These parameters are simplified into two geometrical parameters
with two assumptions. Firstly, it assumes the core and coating to be
circular, with a radius ratio of R1: R2 = 2:3. Subsequently, to preserve
the coating’s stiffness, an additional layer is introduced around the
coating, as shown in Fig. 4. The layer needs to maintain a certain
thickness to guarantee full encapsulation of the coating. However, an
excessively thick layer results in a diminished design domain. Therefore,

Fig. 2. Microstructure unit cell. Fig. 3. (a) Typical locally resonant unit cell; (b) Spring-mass model.

3
Y. Bao et al.
Fig. 4. Resonance structure and matrix region of the unit cell.
the radii of the core, coating, and layer are proportioned as R1: R2: R3
= 4:6:7.
To quantify the matrix’s mass, we define the ratio of the matrix area
to the unit cell area as the filling ratio X. Thus, M1 and K depend solely
on R2, and M0 exclusively on X. So, the range of the bandgap depends
solely on R2 and X.
To establish the quantitative relationship between the bandgap
range and the geometrical parameters (R2 and X), the finite element
method is introduced for calculating band structures. According to the
Floquet-Bloch theorem [76] applicable to waves in periodic lattice
structures, the band structure is derived by solving a standard general­
ized eigenvalue problem:
(
̃
Κ(k) ̃
− ω2n М(k)
)
Φ̃ =0 (9)
̃ = A− 1 Φ, K, M and Φ are the
where Κ(k)
̃ ̃
= AH KA, M(k) = AH MA, Φ
global stiffness matrix, the global mass matrix and the amplitude vector
of displacement, respectively. And A is the transformation matrix based
on the Floquet-Bloch theorem, which is determined by the wave vector
k, ωn is the angular frequency. Due to the symmetry of the unit cell and
lattice, the wave vector is constructed within the irreducible Brillouin
zone. When considering only the band structure, the wave vector only
needs to be constructed along the boundary of the irreducible Brillouin
zone, as shown in Fig. 5.
Considering a square lattice unit cell with a side length d = 5 cm, as
shown in Fig. 6. The matrix material is epoxy, the coating material is
silicone rubber and the core material is lead, the material properties are
listed in Table 1. Through parametric scanning and polynomial fitting,
Fig. 5. The irreducible Brillouin zone of a square lattice.
4
Extreme Mechanics Letters 67 (2024) 102124
the relationship between the lower bandgap bound flow and the coating
radius R2 is obtained, as shown in Fig. 6b. Additionally, by setting the
lower bandgap bound flow = 500 Hz, the relationship between the upper
bound frequency fup of the bandgap and the filling rate X is presented in
Fig. 6d. The filling rate is adjusted by multiplying the density of the
matrix material with a coefficient q, which varies from 0 to 1. The
correlation between X and q is X = q(d2 − π R22 )/d2 .
Fig. 6d shows that an inverse relationship exists between the upper
bound of the bandgap and the filling rate, with a lower filling rate
corresponding to a higher bandgap upper bound. However, this is not
favorable for efficient topology optimization. To achieve a broader
customized bandgap range, optimizing a unit cell with multiple reso­
nance structures is considered. Consequently, the unit cell featuring four
resonance structures, as shown in Fig. 7, is examined.
The effective mass of the four resonance structures unit cell is as
follows:
( )
M0 K
Meff = 4 + (10)
4 K/M1 − ω 2
The upper and lower bounds of the bandgap are as follows:
√̅̅̅̅̅̅ √̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅
1 K 1 K K
flow = , fupp = + , (11)
2π M1 2π M1 M0 /4
When comparing Eq. (11) with Eq. (8), it can be observed that, in
comparison to a single resonance structure unit cell, the lower bound of
the bandgap of the four resonance structures unit cell remains consis­
tent, while the upper bound is higher when the filling rates are equal.
The lower bound of the bandgap remains consistent with the single
resonant case and is still determined by the coating region radius, as
illustrated in Fig. 6b. To achieve a higher upper bound for the custom­
ized bandgap range, introducing multiple resonance structures is a
feasible way. In the case of four resonance structures, the polynomial
fitting results of the upper bound of the bandgap are shown in Fig. 7
when the lower bound of the bandgap flow = 500 Hz.
3. Topology optimization Formulation
3.1. Material interpolation model
In this study, the modified solid isotropic material with penalization
(SIMP) model is used, and the interpolation functions for the element
density and Lamé ’s parameters are as follows:
ρe (xe ) = ρmin + xpe (ρ0 − ρmin )
λe (xe ) = λmin + xpe (λ0 − λmin ) (12)
Ge (xe ) = Gmin + xpe (G0 − Gmin )
where xe is the element density design variable, ρ0 is the matrix material
density, λ0 and G0 are the Lamé ’s first and second parameters of the
matrix material, respectively. Additionally, an ersatz material is utilized
as an approximation for the void material to avoid singularity in the
stiffness matrix. The density, Lamé ’s first, and second parameters of the
ersatz material are denoted as ρmin , λmin and Gmin , respectively.
3.2. Two-stage optimization formulation
We propose a two-stage optimization design method to obtain me­
chanical metamaterials with customized low-frequency bandgap and
negative Poisson’s ratio. Considering the derivations and assumptions in
Section 2.2, the bandgap objectives have been simplified into constraints
on geometric parameters. This transition simplifies the initial multi-
objective optimization into a formally single-objective optimization.
To reduce the complexity arising from multiple constraints, a two-stage
optimization approach is adopted. The first stage disregards the bandgap
issue, focusing instead on the objective of achieving a negative Poisson’s
Y. Bao et al. Extreme Mechanics Letters 67 (2024) 102124

Fig. 6. The relationship between the range of bandgap and the geometrical parameters (R2 and X). (a) Schematic of the core and coating radius; (b) The relationship
between the lower bound flow and the radius of coating R2; (c) Schematic of the coefficient q; (d) The relationship between the upper bound fup and the filling rate X,
with the lower bound of the bandgap set at flow = 500 Hz.

and X), an initialization stage takes place before optimization, corre­

Table 1
sponding to Stage 0 in Fig. 8. In Stage 0, fitted polynomial functions in
Material properties used in this study.
Fig. 6b and Fig. 6d are utilized to deduce the coating radius R2 and the
Mass density ρ Lamé ’s first Lamé ’s second filling rate X based on the customized bandgap range. The resonance
(kg/m3) parameter λ (MPa) parameter G (MPa)
structure is treated as the non-design domain and the elements within
Epoxy 1180 4430 1590 the resonance structure are considered passive elements to remain un­
Silicone 1300 0.6 0.04
changed, while the filling rate constraint is gradually achieved in the
rubber
Lead 11,600 4230 1490
subsequent optimization stages.
The first stage optimization formulation aiming to obtain the nega­
tive Poisson’s ratio unit cell with embedded resonance structure is as
follows:
( )
Stage 1 Optimization : min f ′ = EH12 + EH21 − βl EH11 + EH22
xe
s.t. KU = F
c ≤ c0 (13)
V ≤ V0
0 ≤ xe ≤ 1, e = 1, …, n

where the exponential l is the iteration number, and β is a fixed

Fig. 7. The change in the upper bound of the bandgap from the single reso­
nance structure unit cell to the four resonance structures unit cell.
ratio. In the second stage, more stringent constraints and objectives are
implemented to attain the customized Poisson’s ratio and address the
bandgap issue as simplified in Subsection 2.2. The optimization process
is shown in Fig. 8.
To determine the specific values for the geometric parameters (R2
parameter defined by the user, as referenced in [77], with a value of 0.8.
With this objective function, the optimizer tends to initially maximize
the material’s stiffness moduli EH H
11 and E22 . As the iteration steps l in­
crease, the optimization process gradually shifts towards minimizing the
value of EH 12 , thereby constructing materials with a negative Poisson’s
ratio. The notation c is the compliance of the unit cell, the material
∑
volume V of the matrix material is calculated by V = ne=1 xe /n, c0 and
V0 is the given upper bound of V and c, respectively, n is the number of
elements. Stage 1 of the optimization process will conclude once the
Poisson’s ratio of the unit cell attains the customized value. However, it
is need to note that the optimization is still not concluded at this point,
and the ongoing design often encompasses a certain gray area.
In the first stage, the compliance constraint of the unit cell is adopted

5
Y. Bao et al. Extreme Mechanics Letters 67 (2024) 102124

Fig. 8. Optimization process.

to ensure the connection between the resonance structure and the matrix The material volume constraint is introduced to attain an approxi­
region, thereby avoiding the undesired islanding region as shown in mate 0–1 solution and to ensure that the filling rate could still meet the
Fig. 9a. The computation model of the compliance constraint case in­ requirements after projection in Stage 2. It’s applied in advance in Stage
volves fixing all boundaries of the unit cell and applying a 45◦ surface 1 to ensure a smooth transition of the unit cell structure from Stage 1 to
force F within the resonance structure. When the resonance structure is Stage 2.
connected to the matrix region, the deformation is smaller, resulting in a Aiming to obtain optimized unit cell with customized performance,
smaller compliance. Conversely, if the resonance structure is not con­ the formulation of the second stage optimization is as follows:
nected (as shown in Fig. 9a), the compliance of the microstructure will ( )2 ( )2
become significantly high. Thus, an upper limit value c0 is set in (13) to Stage2 Optimization : min f = EH12 − μ0 EH11 + EH22 − μ0 EH21
xe
ensure the connection between the resonance structure and the matrix s.t. KU = F
region. It’s important to note that the resonant core is surrounded by soft c ≤ c0
material. Therefore, in the context of general microstructure designs, (14)
V ≤ V0
even if the soft material is connected to the matrix region, the micro­
X = X0
structural compliance remains relatively high (exceed the specified
upper limit). This will make it challenging for the compliance con­ S ≥ S0
straints to have a significant influence on the optimization solution. To 0 ≤ xe ≤ 1, e = 1, …, n
avoid this situation, the material of the resonance structure is replaced
with the matrix material shown in Fig. 9c and then calculate the where the objective function f is set to achieve the customized Poisson’s
compliance c = Uc T Kc Uc , where Kc and Uc correspond to the global ratio μ0 in both directions. In Eq. (14), both the material volume
stiffness matrix and the node displacement of the model shown in constraint V ≤ V0 and the filling rate constraint X = X0 of the matrix
Fig. 9c, respectively. material are introduced. These constraints help the optimization process
to achieve an approximate 0/1 solution and ensure that the filling rate

Fig. 9. Schematic diagram of the compliance constraint. (a) Undesirable design where the resonance structure (the yellow coating region, the red core region and the
layer region) is not connected to the matrix region (the green matrix region); (b) Desirable design where the resonance structure is connected to the matrix region; (c)
Model for calculating compliance constraint.

6
Y. Bao et al. Extreme Mechanics Letters 67 (2024) 102124

could still meet the requirements after projection. The stiffness ( )

∂ UTc Kc Uc ∂Kc
constraint (S = EH H
11 + E22 ≤ S0 ）is imposed to avoid the undesired case = − UTc U = − pxp−e 1 UTc (Ke0 − Ke min )Uc (20)
of internal structure disconnection within a single cell, the upper limit of ∂xe ∂xe c
the stiffness S0 is set to be the same as the stiffness of the optimized unit The derivatives of the material volume, the filling rate and the
cell after Stage 1. stiffness are as follows:
Given the radii of the coating and core regions, the upper bound of
∑
n
the bandgap is solely determined by the matrix mass M0, the filling rate ∂ xe
n
1
constraint (X = X0) can be imposed to achieve the customized bandgap e=1
= (21)
range. with the SIMP approach, the mass of the matrix region is as ∂xe n
follows: ( )2
∑
n p
xe ( )
∂ − X0
d ∑n 2
[ ] n
pxp−e 1 ∑
n
xp
M0 = ρ + xpe (ρ0 − ρmin ) (15) e=1
=2 e
− X0 (22)
n e=1 min ∂xe n e=1
n

The relationship between the mass M0 and the filling rate X0 is as ( )

∂ − EH11 − EH22
follows: = − dEH11 − dEH22 (23)
∂xe
n [
∑ ]
ρmin /ρ0 + xpe (1 − ρmin /ρ0 ) ∑ 4. Numerical examples
n
M0 xp
X0 = = e=1 ≈ e
(16)
ρ0 d 2 n e=1
n
To obtain customized Poisson’s ratio and bandgap range, the design
Thus, the filling rate constraint expression actually adopted in the
domain (corresponding to the matrix region in Fig. 4) is to be deter­
optimization algorithm is:
mined through the optimization process. In the numerical examples, we
(
∑n
)2 first provide the customized mechanical metamaterial design by opti­
xpe
− X0 ≤δ (17) mizing the matrix material distribution in the unit cell with a single
n
e=1 resonance structure. Subsequently, to expand the customizable range of
In which ẟ is an extremely small constant. the bandgap, the approach of positioning multiple identical resonance
The material volume constraint is also included in Eq. (14) to ensure structures within a single unit cell is used. This strategy aims to facilitate
that the filling rate could still meet the requirements after projection. customization for a broader bandgap range. Finally, this work achieves
The projection of the optimized solution is sometimes necessary when bandgap connection by connecting multiple different unit cells and
employing the modified SIMP approach for subsequent validation and introducing material damping, expanding the range of low-frequency
manufacturing. However, the application of projection filtering can bandgap.
result in changes to both the Poisson’s ratio and the filling rate. By using
the bisection method, the Poisson’s ratio of the unit cell can remain 4.1. Optimized unit cells with single resonance
unchanged before and after projection [78] to prevent substantial var­
∑
iations in the filling rate, the additional material volume V = ne=1 xe /n We first consider the optimization of the unit cell with a single
resonance structure. The unit cell is a square with the side length
is also considered. Since the filling rate X has an upper edge V (V ≥ X),
the filling rate will remain relatively stable when the material volume d = 5 cm, the material properties of different material phases are shown
in Table 1. The unit cell is discretized into 200 × 200 four-node square
constraint is adopted in the optimization. From our numerical experi­
ence, the upper limit of the material volume V0 is usually set from X0/ finite elements. Considering that the penal factor significantly influences
both the Poisson’s ratio and the bandgap, excessively high or low penal
0.97 to X0/ 0.9.
factors are disadvantageous to optimization. Therefore, the penal factor
for the modified SIMP approach in Eq. (12) is set to p = 5. The upper
3.3. Sensitivity analysis bound of the compliance constraint of the optimization problem is set as
S0 = 0.003. To avoid the checkerboard patterns, density filter is adopted
Considering the efficiency of the optimization algorithm and the with the filter radius r = 2. To obtain the mechanical metamaterial
presence of multiple constraints, The optimization problems Eq. (13) design with the customized Poisson’s ratio μ0 = − 0.5 and bandgap
and Eq. (14) are solved by the method of moving asymptotes (MMA) range (500, 600) Hz, according to the fitted polynomial in Fig. 6, the
[79] for optimization in this study. thus, the sensitivity analysis of the coating radius is set to R2 = 0.56 cm, the core radius is set to R1
objective functions and the constraints need to be derived. The deriva­ = 0.373 cm, the fill rate is set to X0 = 0.4077, and the material volume is
set to V0 = 0.4530.
tive of the equivalent elastic matrix EH H
ij is referred to as dEij , which
The iteration history of the two-stage topology optimization process
expression is as follows:
is shown as Fig. 10. Stage 1 stops after 166 optimization iterations, the
∂EHij 1 p− 1 ( A(i) )T Poisson’s ratio of optimized unit cell reaches the customized Poisson’s
dEHij = = px ue (Ke0 − Ke min )uA(i) (18) ratio μ0 , but the filling rate X (= 0.3588) doesn’t satisfy the filling rate
∂xe |Y| e e

constraint, and many gray areas are within the unit cell. The second
where Y (= d2/n) is the area of the element. Therefore, the derivatives of stage of optimization starts with the final design of the first stage, and
the objective functions for the two-stage optimization are as follows: gets to convergence with few gray elements after 291 iterations. The
Poisson’s ratio and the filling rate of the optimized unit cell after Stage 2
∂f ′ ( ) optimization are μ = − 0.4973 and X = 0.3968, respectively. The ho­
Stage1 : = dEH12 + dEH21 − 0.8l dEH11 + dEH22
∂xe mogenized elastic matrix EH of the optimized unit cell in Fig. 11 is
⎡ ⎤
∂f ( )( ) (19) 319.93 − 159.05 3.7 × 10− 9
Stage2 : = 2 EH12 − μ0 EH11 dEH12 − μ0 dEH11 ⎣ − 159.05 − 9 ⎦(MPa), and the Poisson’s
∂xe 319.93 − 1.5 × 10
( )( ) 3.4 × 10− 9 − 1.2 × 10− 9 20.612
+2 EH21 − μ0 EH22 dEH21 − μ0 dEH22
ratio is μ = − 0.4946. The optimized unit cell after projection and the
The derivative of the compliance c is directly obtained referring to specimen manufactured using the 3D printing are shown in the Fig. 11.
the standard optimization sensitivity derivation of Andreassen [80]: Different penal factors can lead to different optimized properties. To

7
Y. Bao et al. Extreme Mechanics Letters 67 (2024) 102124

Fig. 10. Iteration history of the two-stage optimization aiming to obtain the mechanical metamaterial design with the customized Poisson’s ratio μ0 = − 0.5 and
bandgap (500, 600) Hz. Stage 1 shows the changes in the objective function and Poisson’s ratio. Stage 2 shows the changes in the objective function and filling rate.
The optimized result of Stage 1 is the initial structure of Stage 2 optimization.

Fig. 11. Optimized Unit cell. (a) Single unit cell; (b) 3 × 3 array of unit cell; (c) Specimen of the optimized design.

determine its proper value, Optimizations are conducted with different structure based on μ = 2△ux /uy . In contrast to the customized Poisson
penal factor values, maintaining consistency in other parameters. ratio μ0 (= − 0.5), the relative error EPr = 5.9% indicates that the opti­
Specify the Poisson’s ratio μ = − 0.5 and the bandgap range as (500, mized unit cell has essentially attained the desired customization
600) Hz. Table 2 presents the characteristics of the optimized results, objectives.
including the Poisson’s ratio μ, the lower bound of the band gap flow, the In addition to the auxetic properties, the bandgap performance of the
upper bound of the band gap fup, and the filling ratio X. For ease of optimized unit cell is calculated and verified. By defining the wave
comparison, the reference target values are included in the table’s first vector along the irreducible Brillouin zone boundary shown in Fig. 13a,
row. the band structure is obtained and shown in Fig. 13d. The bandgap range
Table 2 clearly indicates that both excessively high and low penal is (499, 595) Hz, which closely matches the customized bandgap range
factors lead to poor optimization results. Specifically, optimizations fail (500, 600) Hz. The lower bound error of the bandgap is merely Elow
when the penal factor is set to p = 1 and p = 9. Conversely, acceptable = − 0.20%, while the upper bound error stands at Eup= − 0.83%. The
optimization results are obtained when the penal factor lies within the result indicates the customized bandgap range is well implemented.
range of 3 to 7. When the penal factor is set to p = 3 and p = 5, the To verify the bandgap characteristics of the unit cell, the assembled
Poisson’s ratios are similar, but the bandgap error is smaller with p = 5. model shown in Fig. 13c is constructed to calculate the transmission
Thus, the value of penal factor is chosen to be p = 5. ratio (TR). The assembled model consists of 3 × 1 unit cells with con­
To verify the tension and compression behavior of the optimized unit tinuity periodic boundary condition at upper and lower boundaries, and
cell, an 8 × 4 array structure is used for finite element (FE) simulation. there are thin plates on the left and right sides to facilitate excitation
We fix the y-direction displacement of lower boundary and apply a transmission and response calculations. The excitation is the sine wave
displacement constraint uy in the y-direction of the upper boundary to with an amplitude of 0.1 mm applied both in the x and y directions,
induce a small strain εy = 1%. The resulting deformation is amplified acting on the outer boundary of the left thin plate away from the unit
and shown in Fig. 12. By calculating the difference in displacement △ux cells. The frequency range is (300, 900) Hz with the interval of 1 Hz. We
between the left boundary and the right boundary, the Poisson’s ratio is first compute the average displacements at the inner boundary of the
calculated to be μ = − 0.5249 for both tension and compression of the two thin plates, and then calculate the transmission rate of the assem­
bled model according to TR = 20 ∗ log10 (uoutput /uinput ). When the trans­
mission rate is less than 0, it signifies that the output displacement is
Table 2
Optimization results for penal factor p = 1, 3, 5,7, 9.
smaller than the input displacement, which corresponds to the inhibi­
tory effect of the bandgap on wave propagation. From Fig. 13e, it is
p flow fup X
μ
observed that the frequency range of the assembled model wave atten­
Target value -0.5 500 600 0.3819 uation is (489, 578) Hz. The relative errors and with respect to the
1(fail) 0.5 2.73 14.53 0.0140 customized bandgap range (500, 600) Hz are Elow = 2.2% and Eup
3 -0.4966 496.7 593.48 0.4012
5 -0.4962 496.63 603.50 0.3587
= 3.7%. The errors stem from the changes of the geometric shape during
7 -0.4812 496.73 609.26 0.3393 model import, finite element mesh inaccuracies, and inherent errors
9(fail) -0.4493 494.64 664.52 0.2067 between the band structure based on the infinite periodicity and the

8
Y. Bao et al. Extreme Mechanics Letters 67 (2024) 102124

Fig. 12. FE simulation of the 4 × 8 array structures under tension and compression.

Fig. 13. Verification of band structure and transmission rate. (a)Irreducible Brillouin zone of square lattice; (b) Optimized unit cell with customized Poisson’s ratio
μ = − 0.5; (c) Assembled model for calculating transmission rate; (d) Band structure of the optimized unit cell; (e) Transmission rates of the assembled model.

transmission rate based on the assembled model.
In order to prove that the method proposed in this paper can achieve
the separation of the customized bandgap and the customized Poisson’s
ratio, we optimize the metamaterials with different customized Pois­
son’s ratios and same bandgap range, the obtained unit cells with
customized Poisson’s ratios μ0 = − 0.3, − 0.4, − 0.5, − 0.6 and the same
customized bandgap range (500, 600) Hz are presented in Table 3. It can
be observed from Table 3 that the unit cells with customized Poisson’s
ratios μ0 = − 0.3 and − 0.4 are very similar, differing only slightly in rod
thickness and angle, which indicates that the Poisson’s ratio is highly
dependent on the topological structure of the unit cell. Besides, for the
unit cells with Poisson’s ratios μ0 = − 0.5 and − 0.6, their topological
structures exhibit significant distinctions. but the bandgap ranges of
both are relatively close to the customized bandgap range, which sug­
gests that the range of bandgap is hardly influenced by the topological
structure in this study.
In addition, we conducted optimization to obtain the metamaterials
with the customized Poisson’s ratio μ0 = − 0.5 and the customized
bandgap ranges (500, 560) Hz, (500, 580) Hz, (500, 600) Hz, (500, 620)
Hz, and (500, 640) Hz, the optimization results are shown in Table 4. It
is seen from Table 4 that as the width of bandgap increases, the filling
rate of the matrix material decreases, which corresponds to the discus­
sion in Section 2. Moreover, there are weak connections in the structures
and significant errors in the customized negative Poisson’s ratio for the
optimized unit cells with the customized bandgap range (500, 560) Hz
and (500, 640) Hz. This indicates that there is a width limitation for the
customized bandgap range, exceeding this range width limitation will
result in poor optimization results.
In Tables 3 and 4, the maximum values of errors are EPr = 5.54%,
Elow = 0.6%, and Eup = 1%, which indicate that the optimization
method proposed can achieve the customized performances.
4.2. Optimization with multiple resonance structures
Based on the concept that incorporating multiple resonance struc­
tures in a single cell can widen the bandgap width, the optimization for
the customized Poisson’s ratio μ0 = − 0.5 and the bandgap ranges (500,
700) Hz, (500, 750) Hz, (500, 800) Hz, and (500, 850) Hz are conducted
and the optimized designs are shown in Table 5. Comparing Table 5 with
Table 4, it is seen that the unit cells with four resonance structures can
provide a wider bandgap compared to the unit cells with single reso­
nance structure. However, as discussions for the results in Table 4, there

9
Y. Bao et al. Extreme Mechanics Letters 67 (2024) 102124

Table 3
Optimized results with customized bandgap range (500, 600) Hz and negative Poisson’s ratios μ0 = − 0.3, − 0.4, − 0.5, and − 0.6.
Customized Poisson’s ratio Optimized Poisson’s ratio (μ) Band structure Errors
unit cell (EPr, Elow, Eup)

-0.3 − 0.2876 4.13%

0.40%
0.33%

-0.4 − 0.3810 4.75%

0.40%
0.33%

-0.5 − 0.4971 0.58%

0.20%
0.83%

-0.6 − 0.5915 1.42%

0.20%
1.00%

are still limitations on the customized bandgap range, setting extremely
wide or narrow customized bandgap ranges can make it difficult for the
optimization process to achieve the desired customized Poisson’s ratio
simultaneously. In addition, all the optimized unit cells in Table 5
exhibit a ring-shaped structure at the center, which can enhance the
stiffness of the structure and ensure that the optimization problem
satisfies the filling rate constraint.
Similarly, the optimized results for the customized bandgap range
(500, 800) Hz and Poisson’s ratios μ0 = − 0.3, − 0.4, − 0.5, and − 0.6 are
shown in Table 6. Comparing Table 6 with Table 3, it is obvious that the
unit cells in Table 3 mostly embed the resonance structure within the
structure, and the parts within the unit cells will still remain connected if

10
Y. Bao et al. Extreme Mechanics Letters 67 (2024) 102124

Table 4
Optimized results with customized Poisson’s ratio μ0 = − 0.5 and customized bandgap ranges (500, 560) Hz, (500, 580) Hz, (500, 600) Hz, (500, 620) Hz, and (500,
640) Hz.
Customized bandgap range Optimized Poisson’s ratio (μ) Band structure Errors
unit cell (EPr, Elow, Eup)

(500, 560) Hz − 0.4723 5.54%

0.20%
0.18%

(500, 580) Hz − 0.4934 1.32%

0.20%
0.34%

(500, 620) Hz − 0.4881 2.38%

0.60%
0%

(500, 640) Hz − 0.4781 4.38%

0.40%
0.31%

resonance structure is removed. On the contrary, for the unit cells with
four resonance structures in Table 6, they tend to incorporate the reso­
nance structures as connectors of the structure, removing the resonance
structures would result in disconnected unit cells. This indicates that the
four resonance structures also play a role in controlling the values of
negative Poisson’s ratio, while the resonance structure has little effect
on the Poisson’s ratio in the case of the unit cell with a single resonance
structure. In Table 5 and Table 6, the maximum values errors are EPr
= 6.88%, Elow = 0.2%, and Eup = 1.76%, which demonstrates that the
proposed optimization method can still achieve the objective of

11
Y. Bao et al. Extreme Mechanics Letters 67 (2024) 102124

Table 5
Optimized results with customized Poisson’s ratio μ0 = − 0.5 and customized bandgap ranges (500, 700) Hz, (500, 750) Hz, (500, 800) Hz and (500, 850) Hz.
Customized bandgap range Optimized Poisson’s ratio (μ) Band structure Errors
unit cell (EPr, Elow, Eup)

(500, 700) Hz − 0.4739 5.22%

0.20%
0.43%

(500, 750) Hz − 0.4934 1.32%

0.20%
0.13%

(500, 800) Hz − 0.4948 1.04%

0.60%
0.63%

(500, 850) Hz − 0.4656 6.88%

0.40%
1.76%

12
Y. Bao et al. Extreme Mechanics Letters 67 (2024) 102124

Table 6
Optimized results with customized bandgap range (500, 800) Hz and customized negative Poisson’s ratios μ0 = − 0.3, − 0.4, − 0.5, and − 0.6.
Customized Poisson’s ratio Optimized Poisson’s ratio (μ) Band structure Errors
unit cell (EPr, Elow, Eup)

-0.3 − 0.2968 1.07%

0.20%
0.88%

-0.4 − 0.3937 1.58%

0.20%
0%

-0.5 − 0.4948 1.04%

0.20%
0.63%

-0.6 − 0.5999 0.02%

0.20%
0.13%

13
Y. Bao et al.
customized Poisson’s ratio and bandgap range for the case of four
resonance structures.
4.3. Bandgap widening based on unit cells concatenation and material
damping
Combining the designed unit cells with different bandgaps into a
composite structure is a reasonable approach to surpassing the limita­
tions of single-cell bandgaps and further expanding the width of the
bandgap. Therefore, we choose two types of unit cells as shown in
Fig. 14, connecting them together in hopes of achieving a broader
customized bandgap. The customized bandgap range for the single
resonance structure unit cell is (400, 520) Hz, and the customized
bandgap range for the four resonance structures unit cell is (500, 800)
Hz.
We connect two sets of 3 × 1 unit cells together to form a structure
(with periodic boundary conditions along the top and bottom edges, as
shown in Fig. 15a), the transmission rate of the assembled structure is
shown in Fig. 15b. Contrary to the expectation, three narrow passbands
appear within the ideal bandgap range: (478, 481) Hz, (486, 488) Hz
and (651, 660) Hz. This is due to the interactions between different
resonance structures, disrupting their respective bandgap ranges, which
can be explained by the equivalent mass of the assembled model [81].
However, the obtained transmission rate curve overlooks the impact of
material damping in the coating regions (comprised of silicone rubber
material). This material damping, in fact, cannot be disregarded, as it
can significantly diminish the interactions between different unit cells
[82]. After introducing a damping coefficient of the coating material
η = 0.07, the transmission rate curve featuring an expanded and
continuous bandgap of (413, 760) Hz can be observed in Fig.15c. It’s
noteworthy that although the introduction of material damping in the
coating regions brings the range of the widened bandgap very close to
the desired bandgap, the material’s damping cannot entirely eliminate
the interaction between individual cells. As a result, the minimum rate
increases from − 199.5 dB without damping to − 114.9 dB with a
damping coefficient of η = 0.07.
Fig. 14. The band structures and transmission rates of the two optimized unit cells. (a) Band structure of the unit cell with single resonance structure; (b) Band
structure of the unit cell with four resonance structures; (c) Transmission rate of the unit cell with single resonance structure; (d) Transmission rate of the unit cell
with four resonance structures.
14
Extreme Mechanics Letters 67 (2024) 102124
5. Conclusions
This study proposes a new two-stage topology optimization design
strategy for mechanical metamaterials with customized negative Pois­
son’s ratio and bandgap range. In the first stage, only the negative
Poisson’s ratio problem is considered, while in the second stage, both
the customized Poisson’s ratio and the customized bandgap range are
considered simultaneously, resulting in the final optimized structure. In
order to overcome the challenge of mutual interference between the two
types of objectives, Poisson’s ratio and bandgap, which can hinder the
convergence of the optimization problem, we utilize the approximate
separation method to handle these two objectives. In the approximate
separation of Poisson’s ratio and bandgap, the equivalent parameters
derived based on the equivalent mass of the local resonance are intro­
duced as the constraints in the subsequent optimization. Several nu­
merical examples with the customized negative Poisson’s ratio and
bandgap range are presented. The proposed optimization method is
extended to design the unit cell with four resonance structures, wider
customized range of bandgap of the unit cells has been demonstrated
with the bandgap structure analysis. More diverse bandgap ranges are
further achieved with the assembled structure composed of optimized
unit cells. The material damping effects in the coating regions are also
verified to be significant and cannot be overlooked in the bandgap
analysis of the composite structure. The proposed optimization design
strategy is expected to be further applied in the design of structures with
more intricate deformations and elastic wave control functionalities.
Experimental verification on the optimized structures is more
convincing. Currently, fabricating structures that integrate three mate­
rials to specific requirements is a complex challenge. Future experi­
mentation will be undertaken using more advanced manufacturing
methods and experimental testing techniques.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Zhang Xiaopeng: Funding acquisition, Methodology, Project
administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Visualization, Writing
Y. Bao et al.
Fig. 15. Performance of the assembled structure with optimized unit cells. (a) Model of assembled structure; (b) Transmission rate with damping η = 0; (c)
Transmission rate with damping η = 0.07.
– review & editing, Conceptualization. Wang Dazhi: Supervision,
Funding acquisition. Jia Zhiyuan: Methodology, Software, Supervision.
Wei Zishen: Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft. Bao
Yuhao: Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing – original
draft, Methodology, Project administration, Conceptualization, Valida­
tion, Visualization. Kang Zhan: Funding acquisition, Project adminis­
tration, Resources, Supervision.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
the work reported in this paper.
Data Availability
Data will be made available on request.
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by the National Key R&D Program of
China (Grant No. 2018YFA0703200), the National Natural Science
Foundation of China (12272077), and the Fundamental Research Funds
for the Central Universities (DUT22LAB405, DUT22QN227).
15
Extreme Mechanics Letters 67 (2024) 102124
References
[1] R. Lakes, Foam structures with a negative Poisson’s ratio, Science 235 (80) (1987)
1038–1040.
[2] H.M.A. Kolken, A.A. Zadpoor, Auxetic mechanical metamaterials, RSC Adv. 7
(2017) 5111–5129.
[3] S. Krödel, T. Delpero, A. Bergamini, P. Ermanni, D.M. Kochmann, 3 D auxetic
microlattices with independently controllable acoustic band gaps and quasi-S tatic
elastic moduli, Adv. Eng. Mater. 16 (2014) 357–363.
[4] Z. Liu, X. Zhang, Y. Mao, Y.Y. Zhu, Z. Yang, C.T. Chan, P. Sheng, Locally resonant
sonic materials, Science 289 (80) (2000) 1734–1736.
[5] H.H. Huang, C.T. Sun, Wave attenuation mechanism in an acoustic metamaterial
with negative effective mass density, N. J. Phys. 11 (2009) 13003.
[6] M.S. Kushwaha, P. Halevi, L. Dobrzynski, B. Djafari-Rouhani, Acoustic band
structure of periodic elastic composites, Phys. Rev. Lett. 71 (1993) 2022.
[7] M. Kadic, T. Bückmann, R. Schittny, P. Gumbsch, M. Wegener, Pentamode
metamaterials with independently tailored bulk modulus and mass density, Phys.
Rev. Appl. 2 (2014) 54007.
[8] T. Bückmann, M. Thiel, M. Kadic, R. Schittny, M. Wegener, An elasto-mechanical
unfeelability cloak made of pentamode metamaterials, Nat. Commun. 5 (2014)
4130.
[9] K. Wei, Y. Peng, Z. Qu, Y. Pei, D. Fang, A cellular metastructure incorporating
coupled negative thermal expansion and negative Poisson’s ratio, Int. J. Solids
Struct. 150 (2018) 255–267.
[10] Q. Wang, J.A. Jackson, Q. Ge, J.B. Hopkins, C.M. Spadaccini, N.X. Fang,
Lightweight mechanical metamaterials with tunable negative thermal expansion,
Phys. Rev. Lett. 117 (2016) 175901.
[11] G. Giménez-Ribes, E. van der Linden, M. Habibi, Auxetic behavior and unusual
shear resistance of crumpled materials: Opportunities for programming the
nonlinear responses of crumpled mechanical metamaterials, Mater. Des. 223
(2022) 111258.
[12] M.B. Francisco, J.L.J. Pereira, G.A. Oliver, L.R. Roque da Silva, S.S. Cunha Jr, G.
F. Gomes, A review on the energy absorption response and structural applications
of auxetic structures, Mech. Adv. Mater. Struct. 29 (2022) 5823–5842.
[13] C. Yang, H.D. Vora, Y. Chang, Behavior of auxetic structures under compression
and impact forces, Smart Mater. Struct. 27 (2018) 25012.
Y. Bao et al.
[14] K.E. Evans, M.A. Nkansah, I.J. Hutchinson, Auxetic foams: modelling negative
Poisson’s ratios, Acta Metall. Mater. 42 (1994) 1289–1294.
[15] I.G. Masters, K.E. Evans, Models for the elastic deformation of honeycombs,
Compos. Struct. 35 (1996) 403–422.
[16] L.J. Gibson, M.F. Ashby, G.S. Schajer, C.I. Robertson, The mechanics of two-
dimensional cellular materials, Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A. Math. Phys. Sci. 382 (1982)
25–42.
[17] J. Dong, G. Ye, Y. Wang, F. Jin, H. Fan, Design, manufacture and crushing
behaviors of buckling-inspired auxetic meta-lattice structures, Int. J. Smart Nano
Mater. 12 (2021) 491–510.
[18] R. Lakes, Deformation mechanisms in negative Poisson’s ratio materials: structural
aspects, J. Mater. Sci. 26 (1991) 2287–2292.
[19] D. Prall, R.S. Lakes, Properties of a chiral honeycomb with a Poisson’s ratio of—1,
Int. J. Mech. Sci. 39 (1997) 305–314.
[20] W. Zhao, J. Zhu, L. Liu, J. Leng, Y. Liu, A bio-inspired 3D metamaterials with
chirality and anti-chirality topology fabricated by 4D printing, Int. J. Smart Nano
Mater. 14 (2023) 1–20.
[21] J.N. Grima, P. Farrugia, R. Gatt, D. Attard, On the auxetic properties of rotating
rhombi and parallelograms: A preliminary investigation, Phys. Status Solidi 245
(2008) 521–529.
[22] D. Qi, H. Yu, W. Hu, C. He, W. Wu, Y. Ma, Bandgap and wave attenuation
mechanisms of innovative reentrant and anti-chiral hybrid auxetic metastructure,
Extrem. Mech. Lett. 28 (2019) 58–68.
[23] J.N. Grima, K.E. Evans, Auxetic behavior from rotating triangles, J. Mater. Sci. 41
(2006) 3193–3196.
[24] J.N. Grima, S. Winczewski, L. Mizzi, M.C. Grech, R. Cauchi, R. Gatt, D. Attard, K.
W. Wojciechowski, J. Rybicki, Tailoring graphene to achieve negative Poisson’s
ratio properties, Adv. Mater. 27 (2015) 1455–1459.
[25] F. Javid, E. Smith-Roberge, M.C. Innes, A. Shanian, J.C. Weaver, K. Bertoldi,
Dimpled elastic sheets: a new class of non-porous negative Poisson’s ratio
materials, Sci. Rep. 5 (2015) 18373.
[26] M.N. Ali, I.U. Rehman, An Auxetic structure configured as oesophageal stent with
potential to be used for palliative treatment of oesophageal cancer; development
and in vitro mechanical analysis, J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Med. 22 (2011) 2573–2581.
[27] J. Ko, S. Bhullar, Y. Cho, P.C. Lee, M.B.-G. Jun, Design and fabrication of auxetic
stretchable force sensor for hand rehabilitation, Smart Mater. Struct. 24 (2015)
75027.
[28] G. Zhou, W. Zhao, Z.-D. Ma, C. Wang, Y. Wang, Multi-objective reliability design
optimization of a novel side door negative Poisson’s ratio impact beam, Proc. Inst.
Mech. Eng. Part D. J. Automob. Eng. 232 (2018) 1196–1205.
[29] Y. Cao, Y. Liu, Y. Chen, L. Zhu, Y. Yan, X. Chen, A novel slithering locomotion
mechanism for a snake-like soft robot, J. Mech. Phys. Solids 99 (2017) 304–320.
[30] K. Liu, L. Han, W. Hu, L. Ji, S. Zhu, Z. Wan, X. Yang, Y. Wei, Z. Dai, Z. Zhao, 4D
printed zero Poisson’s ratio metamaterial with switching function of mechanical
and vibration isolation performance, Mater. Des. 196 (2020) 109153.
[31] H. Yang, L. Ma, Multi-stable mechanical metamaterials with shape-reconfiguration
and zero Poisson’s ratio, Mater. Des. 152 (2018) 181–190.
[32] T.A.M. Hewage, K.L. Alderson, A. Alderson, F. Scarpa, Double-negative mechanical
metamaterials displaying simultaneous negative stiffness and negative Poisson’s
ratio properties, Adv. Mater. 28 (2016) 10323–10332.
[33] Y. Zhou, L. Ye, W. Chen, Impact mitigation performance of hybrid metamaterial
with a low frequency bandgap, Int. J. Mech. Sci. 213 (2022) 106863.
[34] X. Fei, L. Jin, X. Zhang, X. Li, M. Lu, Three-dimensional anti-chiral auxetic
metamaterial with tunable phononic bandgap, Appl. Phys. Lett. 116 (2020).
[35] J.H. He, H.-H. Huang, Tunable acoustic wave propagation through planar auxetic
metamaterial, J. Mech. 34 (2018) 113–122.
[36] Y. Chen, T. Li, F. Scarpa, L. Wang, Lattice metamaterials with mechanically tunable
Poisson’s ratio for vibration control, Phys. Rev. Appl. 7 (2017) 24012.
[37] Y.-L. Wei, Q.-S. Yang, R. Tao, SMP-based chiral auxetic mechanical metamaterial
with tunable bandgap function, Int. J. Mech. Sci. 195 (2021) 106267.
[38] L. D’Alessandro, V. Zega, R. Ardito, A. Corigliano, 3D auxetic single material
periodic structure with ultra-wide tunable bandgap, Sci. Rep. 8 (2018) 2262.
[39] Z. Tao, X. Ren, L. Sun, Y. Zhang, W. Jiang, A.G. Zhao, Y.M. Xie, A novel re-entrant
honeycomb metamaterial with tunable bandgap, Smart Mater. Struct. 31 (2022)
95024.
[40] P. Bettini, A. Airoldi, G. Sala, L. Di Landro, M. Ruzzene, A. Spadoni, Composite
chiral structures for morphing airfoils: Numerical analyses and development of a
manufacturing process, Compos. Part B Eng. 41 (2010) 133–147.
[41] A. Airoldi, P. Bettini, P. Panichelli, M.F. Oktem, G. Sala, Chiral topologies for
composite morphing structures–Part I: Development of a chiral rib for deformable
airfoils, Phys. Status Solidi 252 (2015) 1435–1445.
[42] A. Airoldi, P. Bettini, P. Panichelli, G. Sala, Chiral topologies for composite
morphing structures–Part II: Novel configurations and technological processes,
Phys. Status Solidi 252 (2015) 1446–1454.
[43] Y. Wang, W. Zhao, G. Zhou, Q. Gao, C. Wang, Suspension mechanical performance
and vehicle ride comfort applying a novel jounce bumper based on negative
Poisson’s ratio structure, Adv. Eng. Softw. 122 (2018) 1–12.
[44] Z. Meng, G. Yang, Q. Wu, S. Xiao, Q. Li, Reliability-based topology optimization for
fundamental frequency maximization with frequency band constraints, Mech. Syst.
Signal Process. 195 (2023) 110295.
[45] K.K. Saxena, R. Das, E.P. Calius, Three decades of auxetics research− materials
with negative Poisson’s ratio: a review, Adv. Eng. Mater. 18 (2016) 1847–1870.
[46] M. Sanami, N. Ravirala, K. Alderson, A. Alderson, Auxetic materials for sports
applications, Procedia Eng. 72 (2014) 453–458.
16
Extreme Mechanics Letters 67 (2024) 102124
[47] R. Zhu, Y.Y. Chen, Y.S. Wang, G.K. Hu, G.L. Huang, A single-phase elastic
hyperbolic metamaterial with anisotropic mass density, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 139
(2016) 3303–3310.
[48] X. Yan, R. Zhu, G. Huang, F.-G. Yuan, Focusing guided waves using surface bonded
elastic metamaterials, Appl. Phys. Lett. 103 (2013).
[49] T.-C. Wu, T.-T. Wu, J.-C. Hsu, Waveguiding and frequency selection of Lamb waves
in a plate with a periodic stubbed surface, Phys. Rev. B. 79 (2009) 104306.
[50] Y. Li, G. Yan, Vibration characteristics of innovative reentrant-chiral elastic
metamaterials, Eur. J. Mech. 90 (2021) 104350.
[51] Z. Tao, X. Ren, A.G. Zhao, L. Sun, Y. Zhang, W. Jiang, D. Han, X.Y. Zhang, Y.M. Xie,
A novel auxetic acoustic metamaterial plate with tunable bandgap, Int. J. Mech.
Sci. 226 (2022) 107414.
[52] G.I.N. Rozvany, A critical review of established methods of ssstructural topology
optimization, Struct. Multidiscip. Optim. 37 (2009) 217–237.
[53] O. Sigmund, K. Maute, Topology optimization approaches: a comparative review,
Struct. Multidiscip. Optim. 48 (2013) 1031–1055.
[54] P. Vogiatzis, S. Chen, X. Wang, T. Li, L. Wang, Topology optimization of multi-
material negative Poisson’s ratio metamaterials using a reconciled level set
method, Comput. Des. 83 (2017) 15–32.
[55] A. Clausen, F. Wang, J.S. Jensen, O. Sigmund, J.A. Lewis, Topology optimized
architectures with programmable Poisson’s ratio over large deformations, Adv.
Mater. 27 (2015) 5523–5527.
[56] Q.I.U. Kepeng, W. Ruoyao, Z.H.U. Jihong, W. Zhang, Optimization design of chiral
hexagonal honeycombs with prescribed elastic properties under large deformation,
Chin. J. Aeronaut. 33 (2020) 902–909.
[57] J.S. Jensen, O. Sigmund, Topology optimization for nano-photonics, Laser Photon.
Rev. 5 (2011) 308–321.
[58] G. Yi, B.D. Youn, A comprehensive survey on topology optimization of phononic
crystals, Struct. Multidiscip. Optim. 54 (2016) 1315–1344.
[59] O. Sigmund, S. Torquato, Design of materials with extreme thermal expansion
using a three-phase topology optimization method, J. Mech. Phys. Solids 45 (1997)
1037–1067.
[60] B. Taherkhani, A.P. Anaraki, J. Kadkhodapour, S. Rezaei, H. Tu, Large deformation
of TPU re-entrant auxetic structures designed by TO approach, J. Elastomers Plast.
53 (2021) 347–369.
[61] S. Rezaei, J. Kadkhodapour, R. Hamzehei, B. Taherkhani, A.P. Anaraki, S. Dariushi,
Design and modeling of the 2D auxetic metamaterials with hyperelastic properties
using topology optimization approach, Photonics Nanostruct. -Fundam. Appl. 43
(2021) 100868.
[62] H. Zhang, Y. Luo, Z. Kang, Bi-material microstructural design of chiral auxetic
metamaterials using topology optimization, Compos. Struct. 195 (2018) 232–248.
[63] H. Li, Z. Luo, L. Gao, P. Walker, Topology optimization for functionally graded
cellular composites with metamaterials by level sets, Comput. Methods Appl.
Mech. Eng. 328 (2018) 340–364.
[64] J. Gao, H. Xue, L. Gao, Z. Luo, Topology optimization for auxetic metamaterials
based on isogeometric analysis, Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Eng. 352 (2019)
211–236.
[65] X. Zhang, H. Ye, N. Wei, R. Tao, Z. Luo, Design optimization of multifunctional
metamaterials with tunable thermal expansion and phononic bandgap, Mater. Des.
209 (2021) 109990.
[66] H.-W. Dong, X.-X. Su, Y.-S. Wang, C. Zhang, Topological optimization of two-
dimensional phononic crystals based on the finite element method and genetic
algorithm, Struct. Multidiscip. Optim. 50 (2014) 593–604.
[67] X. Zhang, J. Xing, P. Liu, Y. Luo, Z. Kang, Realization of full and directional band
gap design by non-gradient topology optimization in acoustic metamaterials,
Extrem. Mech. Lett. 42 (2021) 101126.
[68] A. Dalklint, M. Wallin, K. Bertoldi, D. Tortorelli, Tunable phononic bandgap
materials designed via topology optimization, J. Mech. Phys. Solids 163 (2022)
104849.
[69] K. Qiu, C. Fei, W. Zhang, Band-gap design of reconfigurable phononic crystals with
joint optimization, Mech. Adv. Mater. Struct. (2022) 1–17.
[70] Q. Cheng, H. Guo, T. Yuan, P. Sun, F. Guo, Y. Wang, Topological design of square
lattice structure for broad and multiple band gaps in low-frequency range, Extrem.
Mech. Lett. 35 (2020) 100632.
[71] X.W. Yang, J.S. Lee, Y.Y. Kim, Effective mass density based topology optimization
of locally resonant acoustic metamaterials for bandgap maximization, J. Sound
Vib. 383 (2016) 89–107.
[72] C.C. Seepersad, J.K. Allen, D.L. McDowell, F. Mistree, Multifunctional topology
design of cellular material structures, (2008).
[73] X. Zhang, Z. Jia, Y. Luo, Y. Wang, P. Liu, Z. Kang, A precisely-controlled
multichannel phononic crystal resonant cavity, Adv. Theory Simul. 4 (2021)
2100250.
[74] G.D. Cheng, Y.W. Cai, L. Xu, Novel implementation of homogenization method to
predict effective properties of periodic materials, Acta Mech. Sin. Xuebao 29
(2013) 550–556, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10409-013-0043-0.
[75] L. Xia, P. Breitkopf, Design of materials using topology optimization and energy-
based homogenization approach in Matlab, Struct. Multidiscip. Optim. 52 (2015)
1229–1241.
[76] L.N. Brillouin, Wave propagation in periodic structures: electric filters and crystal
lattices, (No Title). (1953).
[77] G. Agrawal, A. Gupta, R. Chowdhury, A. Chakrabarti, Robust topology
optimization of negative Poisson’s ratio metamaterials under material uncertainty,
Finite Elem. Anal. Des. 198 (2022) 103649.
[78] S. Xu, Y. Cai, G. Cheng, Volume preserving nonlinear density filter based on
heaviside functions, Struct. Multidiscip. Optim. 41 (2010) 495–505.
Y. Bao et al.
[79] K. Svanberg, The method of moving asymptotes—a new method for structural
optimization, Int. J. Numer. Methods Eng. 24 (1987) 359–373.
[80] E. Andreassen, A. Clausen, M. Schevenels, B.S. Lazarov, O. Sigmund, Efficient
topology optimization in MATLAB using 88 lines of code, Struct. Multidiscip.
Optim. 43 (2011) 1–16.
17
Extreme Mechanics Letters 67 (2024) 102124
[81] Z. Meng, L. Wang, Z. Li, J. Wang, A theoretical framework for joining multiple
locally resonant bandgaps of metamaterials towards a super-wide bandgap,
Compos. Struct. 304 (2023) 116348.
[82] L. Yu, S. Liu, L. Ye, G. Huang, Y. Xu, The dynamic characteristics of silicone rubber
isolator, J. Wuhan. Univ. Technol. Sci. Ed. 27 (2012) 130–133.