Architected Meta-Materials: Additive Fabrication, Multiphysics Behavior, and Design Inversion

Abstract

This review aims to synthesize current advances in architected meta-materials, focusing on additive fabrication, multiphysics behavior, and inverse design methodologies, to identify trends, challenges, and opportunities for multifunctional material systems. A qualitative literature review was conducted, targeting sixteen peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2025. The selection criteria included studies on architected or lattice meta-materials fabricated via additive manufacturing, characterized through multiphysics analyses, and/or designed using inverse design or computational optimization methods. Data were collected through database searches (Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and IEEE Xplore) using relevant keywords such as “architected materials,” “meta-materials,” “additive manufacturing,” “topology optimization,” and “inverse design.” Theoretical saturation determined the final sample of studies. Qualitative content analysis was performed using NVivo 14, employing open, axial, and selective coding to extract concepts, identify subthemes, and categorize the literature into four main thematic areas. Analysis revealed four interrelated themes: (1) additive fabrication strategies, emphasizing precision 3D printing methods, material feedstock engineering, and post-processing; (2) multiphysics behavior, highlighting thermo-mechanical, electromechanical, acoustic, and fluid–structure coupling; (3) inverse design and computational optimization, demonstrating topology optimization, machine learning-based design inversion, and digital-twin integration; and (4) functional applications, covering energy absorption, aerospace structures, biomedical implants, smart reconfigurable systems, and extreme-environment adaptation. The review shows that successful integration across fabrication, behavior, and design inversion enables multifunctional performance, while challenges remain in scalability, manufacturability, and multiphysics modeling fidelity. Architected meta-materials represent a paradigm shift in material design, where structural topology enables multifunctional performance across mechanical, thermal, acoustic, and electrical domains. Advances in additive manufacturing and computational design are central to realizing these capabilities, but future work must address scalability, robustness, sustainability, and standardized evaluation frameworks to accelerate practical implementation.