How can we make stronger building materials? An experiment conducted by Rice University's Brown School of Engineering explores this limit by manipulating materials like plastic, metal, and concrete to match the strength of diamonds. 

Through a series of tests, the team at Rice, led by graduate student Seyed Mohammad Sajadi, discovered that 3D-printed polymers based on tubulane structures could be mimicked and scaled to produce an incredibly durable structure that can both withstand intense compression forces and deflect projectiles. This breakthrough opens new doors for creating impact-resistant materials that perhaps were not possible to create previously. 

"Sajadi and his colleagues built computer simulations of various tubulane blocks, printed the designs as macroscale polymers, and subjected them to crushing forces and speeding bullets. The best proved 10 times better at stopping a bullet than a solid block of the same material," explains Mike Williams of Rice to phys.org.

Sajadi told Williams, "tubulane-like structures of metal, ceramic, and polymer are only limited by the size of the printer. Optimizing the lattice design could lead to better materials for civil, aerospace, automotive, sports, packaging, and biomedical applications." 

Theoretical tubulanes inspire ultra hard polymers. Video © Rice University

With new research studies continually pushing the boundaries of building materials, how will architects implement these into practice, and how will material production and manufacturing be affected?