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<p>In natural ecosystems, large-scale structure and function arise from the spatial coordination of local habitat shaped by environmental pressures. Replicating such multiscale organization in synthetic systems—where emergent form and function are governed solely by material composition—remains a fundamental challenge in design and engineering. Here, we developed an experimental, analytical, and computational framework to create self-organizing material patterns—Terraforms—using a ternary mixture of clay, water, and binder subjected to uniform mechanical pressure. These networked patterns form instantaneously at material interfaces and exhibit 3D scale-free organization, positioned between random and regular configurations, mimicking diverse ecological patterns, with planar symmetry and microtopographic fractality. Systematic variation of relative material proportions (RMPs) revealed a critical regime—50% clay, 15–20% water, and 30–35% binder—with a water-to-binder (W/B) ratio close to the Pacioli golden ratio (1.62), yielding Pareto-optimal patterns. Within this regime, network structures minimize eco-stress, maximize hygroscopic capacity, and enhance systemic stability, thereby enabling their quantification. Transitions between pattern topologies follow gradients in the W/B ratio, consistent with a Fibonacci sequence, marking metastable states between disorder and order. Identical W/B ratios can produce distinct topologies, indicating multistability under fixed composition. In Terraforms, the W/B ratio governs short- and long-range bonding, analogous to ecological interactions, while clay acts as a foundational agent, comparable to habitat-forming species. Our results show that complex, functionally optimized network structures can emerge solely from material interactions dictated by RMPs, without systemic control, biological processes, or environmental heterogeneity. These findings establish design rules for programmable, nature-inspired materials with transformative potential for eco-functional infrastructure, ecosystem restoration, and the creation of integrated natural–built environments with deliberately engineered functions — a process we term ecological terraforming.</p>

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Eco-Inspired terraform networks emerge from material self-organization

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2025年10月7日

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  • Matteo Convertino,
  • Enza Migliore,
  • Amedeo Martines

摘要

In natural ecosystems, large-scale structure and function arise from the spatial coordination of local habitat shaped by environmental pressures. Replicating such multiscale organization in synthetic systems—where emergent form and function are governed solely by material composition—remains a fundamental challenge in design and engineering. Here, we developed an experimental, analytical, and computational framework to create self-organizing material patterns—Terraforms—using a ternary mixture of clay, water, and binder subjected to uniform mechanical pressure. These networked patterns form instantaneously at material interfaces and exhibit 3D scale-free organization, positioned between random and regular configurations, mimicking diverse ecological patterns, with planar symmetry and microtopographic fractality. Systematic variation of relative material proportions (RMPs) revealed a critical regime—50% clay, 15–20% water, and 30–35% binder—with a water-to-binder (W/B) ratio close to the Pacioli golden ratio (1.62), yielding Pareto-optimal patterns. Within this regime, network structures minimize eco-stress, maximize hygroscopic capacity, and enhance systemic stability, thereby enabling their quantification. Transitions between pattern topologies follow gradients in the W/B ratio, consistent with a Fibonacci sequence, marking metastable states between disorder and order. Identical W/B ratios can produce distinct topologies, indicating multistability under fixed composition. In Terraforms, the W/B ratio governs short- and long-range bonding, analogous to ecological interactions, while clay acts as a foundational agent, comparable to habitat-forming species. Our results show that complex, functionally optimized network structures can emerge solely from material interactions dictated by RMPs, without systemic control, biological processes, or environmental heterogeneity. These findings establish design rules for programmable, nature-inspired materials with transformative potential for eco-functional infrastructure, ecosystem restoration, and the creation of integrated natural–built environments with deliberately engineered functions — a process we term ecological terraforming.