Digital composites with reprogrammable phase architectures

Digital composites with reprogrammable phase architectures | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Digital composites with reprogrammable phase architectures Yun Bai, Xuebo Yuan, Yang Weng, Kaiping Yin, Heling Wang, Xiaoyue Ni This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8157032/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Spatial patterning of material phases underpins the functional diversity of natural and engineered composites. However, phase architectures are typically fixed once formed, limiting adaptability. Here, we introduce a digital composite with reprogrammable solid–liquid phase architectures at voxel resolution. Each elastomeric voxel contains a liquid metal composite capable of electrically switching between non-volatile solid and liquid states within seconds, analogous to rewriting data on a hard disk. High-throughput experiments and coupled modeling demonstrate precise tuning of viscoelastic and plastic properties, as well as programmable constitutive behaviors and strain distributions. A modular assembly strategy allows scalable 3D construction of reprogrammable composites into free-form, bulk geometries. By encoding phase states as digital inputs, the composite unlocks unprecedented access to real-time, voxel-level tuning of material properties. Materials Engineering Digital Composite Mechanical Metamaterials Reprogrammable Phase-Change Materials Soft Robotics Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare potential competing interests as follows: X.N. and Y.B. are listed as co-inventors on a patent application (US application no. 63/813,785) that covers the design, fabrication, and application of the digital solid–liquid composite. The other authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8157032","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":548840021,"identity":"f1313521-eddd-4cca-ac7b-c05458ab13b0","order_by":0,"name":"Yun Bai","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Duke University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yun","middleName":"","lastName":"Bai","suffix":""},{"id":548841445,"identity":"751c545e-d276-4460-b402-7e085eeff37a","order_by":1,"name":"Xuebo Yuan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Southwest Jiaotong University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xuebo","middleName":"","lastName":"Yuan","suffix":""},{"id":548841446,"identity":"287ecc55-623b-4173-a8c5-b6c3ea393fc2","order_by":2,"name":"Yang Weng","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Duke University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yang","middleName":"","lastName":"Weng","suffix":""},{"id":548841447,"identity":"2e74e2b8-c72e-409c-be53-5db611cd60ca","order_by":3,"name":"Kaiping Yin","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Duke University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kaiping","middleName":"","lastName":"Yin","suffix":""},{"id":548841448,"identity":"da50ed7a-dd2d-48ff-a8b8-ae6e218dab0c","order_by":4,"name":"Heling Wang","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABI0lEQVRIie2RMUvDQBTHLxzE5UnW69LP8EogS6X9An6IhECyBMlUHCMBJ8U10C+RTOIWObBLW9cDM6QILmaIdDCDopdOCjHFTfB+3A0P3g/+7z1CFIo/CiXhEegHcU4I7p5E36egNzTgzol+o3BzkByPorbaq+BixZ9DpE4q4HXThMXkmrklqWecGPOoW1meeOMEdSd9uMxiwCf3JvFQS9acsCLvVKw8sExAcNJilcUyoYvCRnp4zgkyu1u5r1qFyWDB5qzZKX5N3/sUEZiPgCjHD7QIkE9QBEi1HmUqKosC2u2SR3Op2LiswtuLtQ9MdCuDq8DcwulHe8rypXnjU1z4WdnMxkMj6VYkOvtayXsSkssPP/VLaP0taU+nQqFQ/FM+AX3gZp8J/bl/AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Tsinghua University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Heling","middleName":"","lastName":"Wang","suffix":""},{"id":548841449,"identity":"782c8f63-40aa-4217-b18f-b59c133874c5","order_by":5,"name":"Xiaoyue Ni","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA3ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACZjiD+YAEwwEQK4FoLWwJRGpBAB4D4rQYHGd++Ji3zYbBnJ3n422eMzYM/Ow5Bni1SDazGRvztqUxWDbzbrbmuZHGINnzBr8WfmYGM2netsMMBod5t0nzfAAybhCwhY2Z/RtQy3+gFp5nQC3/GewJaeFn5gHZcgCkhU2a5waQIUHQLzzFhnPOJfMYHGYztpxzJplH4syzArxaDM4f3/jgTZmdnMH5ww9vvDlmJ8ffnrwBrxYQYOIBRgqMw4NPJRww/iBK2SgYBaNgFIxYAAB/Jz3/3mfQrwAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Duke University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xiaoyue","middleName":"","lastName":"Ni","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-11-19 15:51:23","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":true,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8157032/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8157032/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":96711179,"identity":"181107b5-1c58-4687-a786-fddcba712ad2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-25 10:11:44","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":32993696,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Preprint.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8157032/v1_covered_1fd72855-5c0c-4d54-b7ac-ca3d1dd5245b.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare potential competing interests as follows: X.N. and Y.B. are listed as co-inventors on a patent application (US application no. 63/813,785) that covers the design, fabrication, and application of the digital solid–liquid composite. 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