Symmetry/Asymmetry in Metamaterials

A special issue of Symmetry (ISSN 2073-8994). This special issue belongs to the section "Engineering and Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2026) | Viewed by 874

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institut Jean Lamour, Universite de Lorraine, CNRS, 54000 Nancy, France
Interests: elastic/acoustic metamaterial and metasurface; noise and vibration isolation/absorption
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Southeast University (China), Nanjing, China
Interests: acoustic metamaterials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue explores the fascinating and evolving roles of symmetry and asymmetry in the design and behavior of metamaterials. Metamaterials, engineered to possess unique properties not found in natural materials, rely heavily on their structural geometry and material composition to achieve extraordinary physical effects, such as negative refraction, cloaking, and advanced wave manipulation. The symmetry or asymmetry of these materials plays a crucial role in determining their performance and functionality, influencing key areas such as wave propagation, energy absorption, and mechanical/optical properties.

Asymmetric metamaterials, in particular, offer new opportunities for controlling wave behaviors in unconventional ways, leading to innovations in fields like vibration control, acoustic management, and electromagnetic manipulation. By breaking traditional symmetries, asymmetric designs can create tailored responses to external stimuli, leading to enhanced performance in energy harvesting, sensing, and structural engineering applications.

This Special Issue brings together cutting-edge research that examines the theoretical foundations, practical implementations, and potential applications of both symmetric and asymmetric metamaterials. Contributions address the latest advances in metamaterial design, including novel fabrication techniques, optimization methods, and computational models, as well as their integration into real-world systems. Topics of interest include but are not limited to the design of novel metamaterial structures, the manipulation of wave propagation through symmetry-breaking techniques, and the development of new materials that exploit these effects for practical engineering solutions.

Overall, this Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of how symmetry and asymmetry influence metamaterials, offering insights into their potential for driving innovation across a wide range of scientific and engineering disciplines.

Dr. Liyun Cao
Prof. Dr. Yifan Zhu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • metamaterial
  • metasurface
  • phononic crystals
  • symmetry/asymmetry design and behavior
  • elastic wave propagation
  • noise and vibration isolation/absorption

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

22 pages, 6060 KB  
Article
A Hybrid Vibration Isolation Base Design Based on Symmetrically Distributed Acoustic Black Holes and Locally Resonant Metamaterials
by Jingtao Du, Zheng Dai and Wei Liu
Symmetry 2026, 18(2), 323; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym18020323 - 10 Feb 2026
Viewed by 570
Abstract
Marine vertical centrifugal pump vibration severely impacts equipment reliability and ship structural integrity, with low-frequency vibration being a key challenge for traditional passive isolation systems. To address this, this study aims to optimize the pump base’s vibration isolation performance by integrating symmetrically distributed [...] Read more.
Marine vertical centrifugal pump vibration severely impacts equipment reliability and ship structural integrity, with low-frequency vibration being a key challenge for traditional passive isolation systems. To address this, this study aims to optimize the pump base’s vibration isolation performance by integrating symmetrically distributed acoustic black holes (ABHs) and locally resonant metamaterials. A combined numerical and experimental approach was adopted: an H-shaped ABH-coupling plate dynamic model was established and validated, followed by parametric evaluation of base structures, ABH parameters (length, lABH), damping layer configurations, and metamaterial arrays. Experimental tests were conducted using simulated pump excitation on the optimal prototype. The results show the optimal configuration—symmetrical ABH (lABH= 100 mm) with a full damping layer and 3 × 3 metamaterial array—achieves 11.97 dB low-frequency and 22.01 dB high-frequency vibration suppression, forming a 24.8–27.6 Hz bandgap and 7.43 dB isolation at characteristic frequencies, with an overall 13% performance improvement. This work verifies the feasibility of the symmetrical ABH–metamaterial hybrid system, providing a novel technical solution for high-performance vibration-noise reduction in marine power equipment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Symmetry/Asymmetry in Metamaterials)
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