Biomimetic composites are usually made by combining hard and soft phases using, for example, multi-material additive manufacturing (AM). Like other fabrication methods, AM techniques are limited by the resolution of the device, hence, setting a minimum length scale. The effects of this length scale on the performance of hard-soft composites are not well understood. Here, we studied how this length scale affects the fracture toughness behavior of single-edge notched specimens made using random, semi-random, and ordered arrangements of the hard and soft phases with five different ratios of hard to soft phases. Increase in the length scale (40 to 960 μm) was found to cause a four-fold drop in the fracture toughness. The effects of the length scale were also modulated by the arrangement and volumetric ratio of both phases. A decreased size of the crack tip plastic zone, a crack path going through the soft phase, and highly strained areas far from the crack tip were the main mechanisms explaining the drop of the fracture toughness with the length scale.

The elastic properties of mechanical metamaterials are direct functions of their topological designs. Rational design approaches based on computational models could, therefore, be used to devise topological designs that result in the desired properties. It is of particular importance to independently tailor the elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio of metamaterials. Here, we present patterned randomness as a strategy for independent tailoring of both properties. Soft mechanical metamaterials incorporating various types of patterned randomness were fabricated using an indirect additive manufacturing technique and mechanically tested. Computational models were also developed to predict the topology-property relationship in a wide range of proposed topologies. The results of this study show that patterned randomness allows for independent tailoring of the elastic properties and covering a broad area of the elastic modulus-Poisson's ratio plane. The uniform and homogenous topologies constitute the boundaries of the covered area, while topological designs with patterned randomness fill the enclosed area.