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Our goal is to develop a design framework for multifunctional mechanical metamaterials that can tune their rigidity while optimizing other desired properties. Towards this goal, we first demonstrate that underconstrained central force…

Soft Condensed Matter · Physics 2024-07-22 Tyler Hain , Chris Santangelo , M. Lisa Manning

Biological springs can be used in nature for energy conservation and ultra-fast motion. The loading and unloading rates of elastic materials can play an important role in determining how the properties of these springs affect movements. We…

Living systems efficiently use chemical fuel to do work, process information, and assemble patterns despite thermal noise. Whether high efficiency arises from general principles or specific fine-tuning is unknown. Here, applying a recent…

Biological Physics · Physics 2022-10-11 Milo M Lin

Architected materials can achieve enhanced properties compared to their plain counterparts. Specific architecting serves as a powerful design lever to achieve targeted behavior without changing the base material. Thus, the connection…

Materials Science · Physics 2023-02-14 Andrew J. Lew , Kai Jin , Markus J. Buehler

We propose a new approach to model electrical machines based on energy considerations and construction symmetries of the motor. We detail the approach on the Permanent-Magnet Synchronous Motor and show that it can be extended to Synchronous…

Optimization and Control · Mathematics 2014-03-27 Al Kassem Jebai , Pascal Combes , François Malrait , Philippe Martin , Pierre Rouchon

Optimization of cyclic stochastic heat engines, a topic spanning decades of research, commonly assumes fixed control or response parameters at discrete points in the cycle-a limitation that often leads to experimentally impractical…

Statistical Mechanics · Physics 2025-07-02 Monojit Chatterjee , Viktor Holubec , Rahul Marathe

In this work, we construct an effective continuum model for architected sheets that are composed of bulky tiles connected by slender elastic joints. Due to their mesostructure, these sheets feature quasi-mechanisms -- low-energy local…

Materials Science · Physics 2022-06-22 Connor McMahan , Andrew Akerson , Paolo Celli , Basile Audoly , Chiara Daraio

This study explores strategies to improve engine efficiency through innovative materials, design concepts, and alternative energy sources. It highlights the use of nanomaterials and surface engineering to create hydrophobic or other types…

General Physics · Physics 2023-07-07 Mario J. Pinheiro

The performance of endoreversible thermal machines operating at finite power constitutes one of the main challenges of nonequilibrium classical and quantum thermodynamics, engineering and others. We introduce the idea of adjusting the…

Statistical Mechanics · Physics 2021-06-16 Pedro E. Harunari , Fernando S. Filho , Carlos E. Fiore , Alexandre Rosas

Living things avoid equilibrium using molecular machines. Such microscopic soft-matter objects encounter relatively large friction and fluctuations. We discuss design principles for effective molecular machine operation in this unfamiliar…

Statistical Mechanics · Physics 2017-12-18 Aidan I Brown , David A Sivak

It is known that an engine with ideal efficiency ($\eta =1$ for a chemical engine and $e = e_{\rm Carnot}$ for a thermal one) has zero power because a reversible cycle takes an infinite time. However, at least from a theoretical point of…

Chemical Physics · Physics 2016-11-22 Jesper Koning , Joseph O. Indekeu

Evolution in time-varying environments naturally leads to adaptable biological systems that can easily switch functionalities. Advances in the synthesis of environmentally-responsive materials therefore open up the possibility of creating a…

Mechanical metamaterials are periodic lattice structures with complex unit cell architectures that can achieve extraordinary mechanical properties beyond the capability of bulk materials. A new class of metamaterials is proposed, whose…

Applied Physics · Physics 2022-07-22 Marius Wagner , Fabian Schwarz , Nick Huber , Lena Geistlich , Henning Galinski , Ralph Spolenak

In this paper, we derive a number of inequalities which express power-efficiency trade-offs that hold generally for thermodynamic machines operating in non-equilibrium stationary states. One of these inequalities concerns the output power,…

Statistical Mechanics · Physics 2019-09-04 Hadrien Vroylandt , David Lacoste , Gatien Verley

Designing materials that can effectively and repeatedly absorb energy from unpredictable directions represents a grand challenge in modern engineering, crucial for applications from vehicle crashworthiness systems to personal protective…

Mathematical Physics · Physics 2025-12-24 Aijie Tang , Junjie Liu , Xia Liu , Mingchao Liu , Xiaoding Wei , Qingsheng Yang

A specific class of stochastic heat engines driven cyclically by time-dependent potential, which is defined in the half-line ($0<x<+\infty$), is analysed. For such engines, most of their physical quantities can be obtained explicitly,…

Statistical Mechanics · Physics 2020-02-18 Yunxin Zhang

We present a microscopic model of a disordered viscoelastic active solid, i.e. an active material whose long time behaviour is elastic as opposed to viscous. It is composed of filaments, passive crosslinks and molecular motors powered by…

Soft Condensed Matter · Physics 2014-07-15 Rhoda J. Hawkins , Tanniemola B. Liverpool

We study the sense in which the continuum limit of a broad class of discrete materials with periodic structures can be viewed as a nonlinear elastic material. While we are not the first to consider this question, our treatment is more…

Mathematical Physics · Physics 2025-10-31 Xuenan Li , Robert V. Kohn

Power and efficiency are fundamental criteria for evaluating the performance of thermodynamic cycles. However, it is generally impossible to maximize both simultaneously. In particular, achieving maximum efficiency inevitably leads to…

Statistical Mechanics · Physics 2026-01-28 R. X. Zhai , Xin Yue , C. P. Sun

Understanding the mechanical response and failure of solids is of obvious importance in their use as structural materials. The nature of plastic deformation leading to yielding of amorphous solids has been vigorously pursued in recent…

Soft Condensed Matter · Physics 2021-06-30 Srikanth Sastry