Interpreting metamaterials from an artistic view

Two leading experts in the field of metamaterials from Tsinghua University co-authored a review article on this emerging scientific field in Engineering recently. Unlike traditional review articles, the authors interpret metamaterials from an artistic perspective. By drawing parallels with art, they reflect on significant achievements made over the past two decades and offer insights into the future development of the field. Their work introduces readers to the novel concept of metamaterials as “the art in materials science.”

Metamaterials refer to artificially engineered materials composed of structural units designed to exhibit extraordinary properties not found in natural materials. Although the field has only developed for just over 20 years, it has expanded into numerous areas of physics and significantly influenced engineering applications. The two scholars compare metamaterials to the “art of materials science” because research in this field is inherently creative. Just as art comes from life but goes beyond it, metamaterials are composed of natural materials but can exhibit properties beyond those found in nature. The article emphasizes that the key to metamaterials research lies in achieving the “meta”—a process akin to artistic creation, breaking conventions, embracing freedom, and fully leveraging human ingenuity to design materials with extraordinary, enhanced properties, and super functionalities. On a micro level, the design methods and concepts exhibited during the development of metamaterials, as well as the overarching development patterns observed over its thriving 20-year history on macro level, show remarkable similarities to the evolution of artistic creation. From a results perspective, metamaterials have enabled realizations of concepts that had existed only in the realm of art for millennia but were previously unattainable—such as the “invisibility cloak.” Finally, the authors provide an outlook on the future development of metamaterials, addressing foundational research, intelligent systems, artificial intelligence, and engineering applications. They stress the necessity of advancing metamaterials toward practical applications while addressing existing challenges. The article proposes transitioning metamaterials from “art pieces” to “craftworks”—from intricate laboratory creations to industrial-scale mass production. This transformation is expected to revolutionize productivity and drive societal progress.

The paper “Metamaterials: The Art in Materials Science,” authored by Jingbo Sun, Ji Zhou. Full text of the open access paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2024.12.011. For more information about the Engineering, follow us on X (https://twitter.com/EngineeringJrnl) & like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EngineeringJrnl).