With our previously developed method, we generated triply periodic surfaces (TPSs) including 131 minimal surfaces (TPMSs) using crystal structures of 923 metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as templates. Our approach is based on the topological representation of a MOF structure as a periodic net with the subsequent construction of the natural tiling for the net and generation of TPSs/TPMSs from the faces of the tiles. The TPMSs were classified into nine topological types, three of which were previously unreported. The surfaces were optimized through smoothing and finite-thickness procedures and deposited in a database together with their topological descriptors. Being designed for practical applications, the surfaces are provided in formats compatible with additive manufacturing and standard software tools. Based on some TPMSs, we fabricated periodic porous samples and experimentally showed that they can possess better mechanical properties than the corresponding bulky material. This work expands the repertoire of known minimal surfaces and bridges the gap between micro- and macrostructures in materials design and fabrication. The relations between atomic crystalline architectures and materials with regular structure including metamaterials support the ideas of generalized crystallography disseminated by Alan Mackay long ago (Struct Chem 13:215–220, 2022).

Full-text article

Supplementary information