Andi’s writeup

Researchers at the University of Toronto and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have developed carbon nanolattices with unprecedented strength-to-weight ratios using machine learning optimization^[1]. The team achieved a specific strength of 2.03 MPa m³ kg⁻¹ at densities below 215 kg m⁻³, creating materials as strong as carbon steel but with the density of Styrofoam^[2].

The breakthrough came through multi-objective Bayesian optimization of lattice designs combined with two-photon polymerization 3D printing. This approach improved strength by 118% and Young’s modulus by 68% compared to traditional designs^[3]. By reducing strut diameters to 300 nm, the researchers produced high-purity pyrolytic carbon structures containing 94% sp²-bonded carbon^[3:1].

The team successfully scaled production using multi-focus two-photon polymerization to create millimeter-scale metamaterials containing 18.75 million nanolattice cells^[3:2]. “If you were to replace components made of titanium on a plane with this material, you would be looking at fuel savings of 80 litres per year for every kilogram of material you replace,” said Peter Serles, the study’s first author^[4].