Multi-material 3D printed compression-induced stretching lattice metamaterials with superior reusable energy absorption

Achieving high-efficiency energy absorption while maintaining structural recoverability remains a critical challenge in lattice structure design, as conventional materials often sacrifice load-bearing capacity for reusability. To address this trade-off, we propose a reusable compression-induced stretching (CIS) lattice metamaterial fabricated via multi-material 3D printing. Our design employs a ‘wrapping’ strategy to ensure robust integration between the rigid skeleton and the soft dissipative phase. Unlike conventional lattices that rely on unstable buckling, our metamaterial utilises rationally designed geometric nonlinearity to convert global compression into uniform stretching of embedded viscoelastic sheets. Consequently, it exhibits an energy absorption capacity that is 358.5% higher than that of bending-dominated designs and sustains stable hysteresis loops over 500 cycles with negligible residual strain. Furthermore, the mechanical response is highly programmable: by tailoring intra-cell size, material gradients, and global aspect ratios, the deformation sequence can be designed to achieve progressive densification. Finally, we demonstrate the scalability of this concept by constructing a macroscopic 3D cylindrical metamaterial, thereby providing a versatile platform for next-generation reusable energy-absorbing systems.