Micro-truss nanocrystalline Ni hybrids

A low-density nanocrystalline material was created by electroforming nanocrystalline Ni around a rapid prototyped acrylic photopolymer micro-truss. This new hybrid material combines the structural efficiency of micro-truss architectures with the ultra-high strength that can be achieved by grain size reduction to the nanometer scale. A range of strut thicknesses were electrodeposited and tested in uniaxial compression. Strut failure occurred by inelastic buckling in the core (compression) members and tensile fracture in the face-sheet (tension) members. Experimental knockdown factors were determined from the idealized compressive modulus and peak strength models and used to map the optimal strut geometry in terms of deposited Ni and the initial strut cross-section.