A mechanical framework for the design of metamaterial scaffolds for tissue engineering

Structural metamaterials are a category of materials suitable for the fabrication of scaffolds for tissue engineering. In fact, their configuration and manufacturing methods make it possible to modulate the mechanical properties, as well as the biocompatibility, bioactivity and bioreabsorbability characteristics according to the specific biomedical application, in order to optimize and accelerate tissue regeneration processes. This also implies the need for metamaterial design methods. Regarding the fundamental role played by mechanics, experimental and computational approaches can provide essential tools for optimized metamaterial design. Therefore, we propose the definition and validation of an in silico framework, based on a combination of experimental and computational activities, for evaluating and planning the mechanical behavior of metamaterial structures.