Innovative Building Materials Shaping the Future of Architecture

1. Unbreakable Materials

Julia Greer, a materials science and mechanics professor at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), uses two-photon lithography to create precise polymer nanotrusses that can be coated in materials like metal or ceramic, hollowed out to remove the polymer, and then stacked in a fractal construction—essentially a nanotruss made of nanotrusses. The newly created material couples the structural and material properties of its medium, such as metal or ceramic, to possess previously unheard-of characteristics including flaw-tolerance and shape memory. The lab is trying to scale the process from its current millimetre size to that of a sheet of letter-sized paper. But don’t expect to see the metamaterial used in structural members or cladding, Greer says. Rather, likely uses in the built space include battery cells, smart windows, heat exchangers, and wind turbines. “You can make paper that is un-wettable, thermally insulating, and untearable,” she says. “You can let your imagination go wild.”

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