A 3D-printed titanium-alloy lattice can float despite its open, water-permeable exterior. Researchers at RMIT filled the lattice’s hollow struts with polyurethane foam, making the structure’s skeletal density low enough for buoyancy. In laboratory tests, samples stayed afloat after substantial damage, and a prototype buoy remained stable in a turbulent seawater tank. These demonstrations do not establish long-term performance in the ocean.
How can a titanium lattice float if water flows through it?
The structure pairs a 3D-printed Ti-6Al-4V titanium-alloy framework with polyurethane foam inside its hollow, interconnected struts. The larger spaces between the struts remain open, so water can pass through the lattice rather than being kept out by a solid outer shell.
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RMIT explains flotation using “skeletal density”: the density of the parts that exclude water, including the titanium walls and sealed foam-filled channels, rather than the open passages through the lattice. The design floats when that skeletal density is lower than the surrounding liquid’s density. As lead researcher Dr Jordan Noronha put it, “if the skeletal density is lower than that of the surrounding liquid, the structure will float – even when water flows through all its external openings.”
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RMIT’s 3 September 2026 release reports these results. The release does not provide the full test protocol or comparison details, so the figures should be understood within the stated conditions.
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| Test or comparison | Reported result |
|---|---|
| Freshwater buoyancy | Samples floated for more than two months, according to RMIT University (2026). |
| Damage to the lattice | Buoyancy remained after cracking, connection-point failures and fracture of an entire lattice layer. RMIT reports that the structure sank only after severe crushing and compaction. |
| Strength at comparable overall density | RMIT reports the lattice was 70% stronger than stainless steel or high-density polyethylene at the same overall density. The release does not detail the comparison methodology. |
| Natural seawater immersion | After two weeks in natural seawater from Port Phillip Bay, RMIT reports 0.15% mass loss and less than 1% strength decline. |
| Prototype buoy in turbulent seawater | The buoy remained stable in a tank rotated up to 45 degrees, according to RMIT University (2026). |
Does it still float if it cracks?
In RMIT’s reported damage tests, cracking, failures where struts connect, and the fracture of a full lattice layer did not immediately eliminate buoyancy. The samples sank after more severe crushing and compaction. The tests show resilience to the specified damage in those specimens; they do not establish how the material would behave under every kind of impact, fatigue or long-term wear.
Has it been tested in the ocean?
No long-term ocean deployment is reported. The seawater evidence is a two-week immersion test using natural seawater from Port Phillip Bay, while the buoy demonstration took place in a turbulent seawater tank. RMIT identifies scale-up and longer-term testing under realistic marine and deep-sea conditions as next steps. The results therefore do not establish years of service, long-term corrosion resistance, or readiness for marine infrastructure.
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What is the research, and what happens next?
The work is described in the study “Breaking the surface: buoyant metal–polymer open–cell hybrid lattice metamaterials,” published in Advanced Materials (DOI: 10.1002/adma.74641). RMIT’s Centre for Additive Manufacturing led the project with France’s Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers. RMIT identifies Dr Jordan Noronha as lead researcher and Distinguished Professor Ma Qian as project leader.
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