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Published on: February 20, 2019
Tunable acoustic metasurface based on tunable piezoelectric composite structure.
Yao-Yin Peng1, Zhang-Zhao Yang1, Zhi-Lei Zhang1
1Key Laboratory of Modern Acoustics, Ministry of Education, Institute of Acoustics, Department of Physics, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, People's Republic of China.
Researchers developed a passive tunable acoustic metasurface using piezoelectric composite structures. This ultrathin device precisely controls acoustic waves for beam steering, focusing, and trapping without structural changes, offering a novel material solution.
Area of Science:
- Acoustic Metamaterials
- Wave Physics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Active phased arrays offer high performance but are complex and costly.
- There is a need for passive tunable metasurfaces with comparable performance for engineering applications.
- Existing metasurfaces often require structural modification for tuning, limiting real-time control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and demonstrate a passive tunable metasurface unit based on piezoelectric composite structures (PCS).
- To achieve tunable acoustic wave manipulation at a deep subwavelength scale.
- To realize multiple acoustic functions including beam steering, focusing, and generating acoustic tweezers.
Main Methods:
- Design of an ultrathin metasurface unit comprising a PCS connected to an external capacitor.
- Fabrication and numerical simulation of a 20-unit tunable acoustic metasurface.
- Experimental validation of the phase control capabilities and acoustic functions.
Main Results:
- The PCS unit demonstrated effective phase modulation of transmitted acoustic waves by adjusting the external capacitor.
- The metasurface successfully performed beam steering, beam focusing, and tweezer-like beam generation.
- Numerical and experimental results confirmed the precise control and functionality of the designed passive metasurface.
Conclusions:
- A novel passive tunable acoustic metasurface using PCS and external capacitors was successfully developed.
- The proposed metasurface offers precise control over acoustic waves at a deep subwavelength scale.
- This technology enables the design of ultrathin, tunable acoustic devices with passive materials for advanced acoustic applications.
