Hybrids to fill holes in material property space

Abstract

Hybrid materials are combinations of two or more materials assembled in such a way as to have attributes not offered by either one alone. Particulate and fibrous composites are examples of one type of hybrid, but there are many others: sandwich structures, foams, lattice structures, segmented structures and more. Here we explore ways of designing hybrid materials, emphasizing the choice of configuration, components, and their shape and their scale. The new variables expand design space, allowing the creation of new ‘materials’ with specific property profiles.