Gyroid Sonic Crystals?

So the theory goes, 2D phononic crystals are less effective 'selective' absorbers than 3D phononic crstals. A 3D phononic crystal will typically be constructed of ball bearings suspended in a resin medium. To qualify as a sonic crystal, the supporting medium must be a liquid (i.e. air), but trying to support a periodically spaced array of ball bearings in air is obviously going to cause problems... Two articles I came across recently have prompted me to start toying with the idea of gyroid lattice-type sonic crystals. The first was an article about the photonic reflectivity of natural gyroids or `biophotonic crystals' as they are also known (National Geographic, 2010). For example, the type identified on a particular species of butterfly's wing scales. These have also been evaluated in FDTD simulations (Michielson, Journ. of the Royal Soc., 2009). The second article was about 3D printing, proclaimed by some to be the next revolution in manufacturing technology (Economist, 2010). I wondered whether, using 3D printing technology, it might be possible to manufacture gyroids on the scale of sound waves that would be effective selective absorbers. The material would still have to be a hightly reflective - i.e. the oil based polymers typically used in 3D printing probably wouldn't be effective.But apparently 3D printing in stainless steel is also possible...

My first gyroid in Matlab