Where are metamaterials already scaling cost-effectively?
The clearest success story is in food technology: injection-molded metamaterials for plant-based meat analogs. A 2024 study showed that injection molding—a massively scalable polymer industry technique—produces whole-cut meat analogs at $9/kg, compared to $38/kg for 3D printing, and blinded taste tests showed a 43% preference for the metamaterial steak [5]. This works because the metamaterial design (a thermally irreversible fat composite and a multi-scaled meat analog) is compatible with existing high-volume manufacturing.
In electromagnetic applications, simple designs are proving scalable. A 2024 paper demonstrated an ultra-wideband metamaterial absorber using a simple vertical-slot lattice array that achieves over 90% absorption from 4.1 to 29.6 GHz (a 151% relative bandwidth) while being explicitly designed for cost-effective manufacturing [3]. Similarly, a 2023 stainless steel terahertz sensor uses only one material (stainless steel) with a simple structure, achieving 99.99% absorption at 2.937 THz and low manufacturing costs [4]. These examples show that when the metamaterial design is simplified and matched to existing fabrication methods, scale becomes feasible.
For metallic metamaterials, a 2024 breakthrough used lithography-based metal additive manufacturing (digital light processing on metal-filled resin, then sintering) to 3D print stainless steel metamaterials with micro-scale features on a decimeter scale. The authors benchmarked it against laser powder bed fusion and found it competitive in accuracy, surface roughness, and design freedom, calling it 'a viable solution for translating metallic metamaterials from laboratories to markets' [2].
What applications still face scaling hurdles?
Large-scale structural metamaterials—for energy systems, civil infrastructure, or aerospace—remain difficult to scale. A 2025 review explicitly states that 'the vast majority of reported research on metamaterials has been at the nano- and micro-scales, attributable to fabrication costs and capabilities' [8]. The review identifies multi-material engineering and hybrid manufacturing as promising but still emerging paths for meter-scale metamaterials, and notes that semi-active reconfigurable metamaterials (which can modulate properties with limited power) show promise but have only been demonstrated at small scales [8].
Mechanical metamaterials with tunable properties (like adjustable Poisson's ratio or compression-torsion coupling) face a different scaling problem: they often require separate manufacturing for each desired property variant. A 2025 study proposed a design that can tune properties simply by changing unit cell number and combination method, which could enable large-scale production, but this is a new concept and not yet proven at scale [7].
For multispectral camouflage, a 2025 study demonstrated a flexible transparent metamaterial that works across infrared, microwave, and laser bands, and explicitly states it uses 'mature micro-nano fabrication techniques' enabling large-scale production of 18×18 cm samples [1]. However, this is still a lab demonstration; the paper does not address cost per square meter or production yield at industrial volumes.
Which new manufacturing methods are most promising for scale?
One-step lithography is a game-changer for chiral metamaterials. A 2026 study introduced a one-step electron-beam deposition method that leverages the shadowing effect during thin-film growth to create 3D intrinsically chiral metamaterials, achieving a record-high dissymmetry factor (g-factor) of 1.3 in the visible band—compared to the typical 0.1 from multi-step methods. The authors explicitly state this 'streamlines fabrication' and enables large-scale production [10].
For graphene-based metamaterials, a 2022 study demonstrated wafer-scale production of single-crystal graphene-mesh metamaterials with zigzag edges using a hydrogen-assisted anisotropic etching method. This avoids the contamination and size limits of conventional lithography on exfoliated flakes, enabling large-scale production of high-quality films for integrated circuits [9].
Kirigami-inspired metamaterials offer a low-cost path to reconfigurable electromagnetic systems. A 2023 study showed that metallized kirigami patterns can be mechanically actuated to tune resonant frequency or induce anisotropy, with the authors highlighting 'low manufacturing cost' as a key advantage over current reconfigurable systems [6]. This approach is inherently scalable because it uses simple cutting and folding of sheet materials.
About These Sources
This answer is built on 10 peer-reviewed studies — published from 2022 to 2026, 7 from 2024 or later, 5 in Q1 journals, collectively cited 59 times — selected as the most relevant from 15 studies that passed quality screening, drawn from 66 papers retrieved from a database of over 500 million.
Sources used in this answer
Functional Multispectral Camouflage Strategy Based on Flexible Transparent Metamaterial Compatible with Radiative Cooling
Demonstrated a flexible transparent metamaterial for multispectral camouflage (infrared, microwave, laser) using mature micro-nano fabrication, producing an 18×18 cm sample with >60% visible transmittance and >90% microwave absorption from 4.4-18 GHz.
Unlocking multiscale metallic metamaterials via lithography additive manufacturing
Unlocked 3D printing of stainless steel metamaterials across scales using lithography metal manufacturing (DLP on metal-filled resin), achieving micro-scale features on a decimeter scale and competing with laser powder bed fusion in accuracy and surface roughness.
Ultra-Wideband Metamaterial Absorber Using Slotted Standing-Up Lattice Array
Proposed a simple vertical-slot lattice array for ultra-wideband absorption (4.1-29.6 GHz, >90% absorption) that is explicitly designed for cost-effective manufacturing and wide-angle incidence insensitivity (85% absorption under 75° oblique TM wave).
Ultrasensitive refractive index sensor based on stainless steel metamaterial
Presented a stainless steel terahertz metamaterial absorber achieving 99.99% absorption at 2.937 THz, with simple structure and low manufacturing costs, and demonstrated sensing of methane with sensitivity of 22.727 THz/RIU and FoM of 568.175 RIU⁻¹.
Metamaterial-based injection molding for the cost-effective production of whole cuts.
Introduced injection-molded metamaterials for plant-based whole-cut meat analogs, costing $9/kg versus $38/kg for 3D printing, with blinded taste tests showing 43% preference for the metamaterial steak over existing alternatives.
A new class of transformable kirigami metamaterials for reconfigurable electromagnetic systems
Developed kirigami-inspired multistable mechanical metasurfaces for low-cost reconfigurable electromagnetic systems, demonstrating tunable dipole antennas and frequency selective surfaces with adjustable resonant properties via mechanical actuation.
A novel mechanical metamaterial with tunable mechanical and compression-torsion properties
Proposed a novel mechanical metamaterial that can tune positive/negative Poisson's ratio, elastic modulus, and compression-torsion properties simply by changing unit cell number and combination, aiming to enable large-scale production and reduce manufacturing costs.
Large-scale reconfigurable metamaterials
Reviewed large-scale reconfigurable metamaterials, concluding that most research is at nano/micro scales due to fabrication costs, and identifying multi-material engineering and hybrid manufacturing as promising paths for meter-scale applications.
Production of Large‐Area Nucleus‐Free Single‐Crystal Graphene‐Mesh Metamaterials with Zigzag Edges
Demonstrated wafer-scale production of single-crystal graphene-mesh metamaterials with zigzag edges using hydrogen-assisted anisotropic etching, avoiding contamination from conventional lithography and enabling large-scale integrated circuit applications.
Intrinsically Chiral Metamaterials with Giant Optical Chirality via One-Step Lithography
Introduced a one-step lithography strategy for intrinsically chiral metamaterials, achieving a record g-factor of 1.3 in the visible band (vs. typical 0.1), and demonstrated enhanced chiral sensing of cysteine enantiomers by three orders of magnitude.