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Reconfigurable dynamic acoustic holography with acoustically transparent and programmable metamaterial
Mengru Zhang1,2, Binjie Jin3, Youlong Hua1
1State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, School of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China.
Nature Communications
|October 14, 2025
Summary
Researchers developed a programmable acoustic metamaterial using a semi-crystalline polymer. This innovation enables real-time manipulation of acoustic fields, paving the way for advanced engineering and medical applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Acoustics
- Engineering
Background:
- Real-time, high-resolution acoustic field manipulation is crucial for engineering and medical applications.
- Existing acoustic metamaterials lack programmable modulation capabilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a programmable acoustic metamaterial capable of modulating acoustic waves.
- To enable real-time, high-resolution acoustic field control for advanced applications.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a crosslinked semi-crystalline polymer for programmable modulus patterns.
- Encoded/erased modulus patterns in approximately 13 minutes.
- Integrated the polymer with a partitioned piezoelectric transducer for dynamic holography.
Main Results:
- Achieved low acoustic attenuation despite the material's multiphase nature.
- Created reconfigurable acoustic phase holograms with high modulus pattern resolution.
- Generated acoustic fields with 10000 pixels/cm² resolution at 50000 fps switching rate.
Conclusions:
- The developed acoustic metamaterial offers unprecedented control over acoustic fields.
- Enables applications such as acoustic movies and remote thermal writing.
- Has significant implications for future technological advancements in acoustics and beyond.
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