North Carolina State researchers use magnets to transform random snapping into ordered metamaterial sequences

NC State researchers discover that magnetizing elastic metamaterials turns random snapping into ordered sequences, boosting energy absorption by 30%.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 21, 2026, 5:41 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from North Carolina State University

Engineering New Properties Through Structural Design

The field of metamaterials relies on the principle that the physical properties of a substance can be fundamentally altered through its geometry rather than its chemical composition alone. At North Carolina State University, researchers demonstrated this by cutting specific T-patterns into polymer sheets, transforming a simple elastic material into a complex mesh. Traditionally, when such a sheet is pulled, the structural cuts "pop" open simultaneously. However, first author Haoze Sun and his team found that incorporating magnetic materials into the polymer creates a competing force that fundamentally changes this mechanical behavior.

Overcoming the Simultaneity of Material Deformations

In unmagnetized sheets, the structural openings occur all at once because there is no internal resistance to the external pulling force. By magnetizing the polymer, the researchers introduced a magnetic attraction that tries to hold the cuts closed while gravity or mechanical tension pulls them apart. This conflict causes the rows to snap open one at a time rather than in a single burst. According to Professor Jie Yin, this discovery was the first step in understanding how to move from chaotic, simultaneous movements to controlled, sequential mechanical responses.

The Role of Unavoidable Structural Defects

Initial experiments showed that while the magnetized rows opened sequentially, the specific order appeared random. Interestingly, the researchers found that each individual sheet would repeat its own unique "random" order every time it was tested. This consistency was traced back to microscopic, unavoidable defects in the material that dictate which row fails first. Because these tiny imperfections remain constant, the "fingerprint" of the snapping sequence remains identical across multiple uses, providing a baseline of predictability in an otherwise complex system.