In September 2025, the UH IDEAS² Center team led by Dr. Tian Chen made significant progress in the fabrication and characterization of architected ceramic lattices for aerospace structures. The group successfully printed and sintered high-quality metamaterial specimens, including Kelvin-cell, octet-tetrahedral, Schwarz P, and gyroid lattice geometries. These samples underwent mechanical evaluation using an Instron 68SC-2 system to measure elastic modulus and failure behavior. The results showed elastic moduli between 160–200 MPa for strut-based lattices and stress capacities up to 7.5 MPa for shell-based designs, highlighting the superior stiffness of gyroid and Schwarz P architectures. This work validates the feasibility of additive manufacturing of ceramic lattices for lightweight, high-strength, and damage-tolerant space structures.
