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An Acoustic Meta‐Skin Insulator
Author(s) -
Tong Lei,
Xiong Zhu,
Shen YaXi,
Peng YuGui,
Huang XinYu,
Ye Lei,
Tang Ming,
Cai FeiYan,
Zheng HaiRong,
Xu JianBin,
Cheng Gary J.,
Zhu XueFeng
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/adma.202002251
Subject(s) - materials science , acoustic impedance , metamaterial , acoustics , underwater , acoustic wave , optoelectronics , impedance matching , insulator (electricity) , electrical impedance , optics , electrical engineering , oceanography , physics , engineering , geology , ultrasonic sensor
Acoustic metamaterials with artificial microstructures are attractive to realize intriguing functions, including efficient waveguiding, which requires large impedance mismatches to realize total side reflection with negligible transmission and absorption. While large impedance mismatch can be readily realized in an air environment, acoustic waveguiding in an underwater environment remains elusive due to insufficient impedance mismatch of state‐of‐the‐art metamaterials. Here, a superhydrophobic acoustic metasurface of microstructured poly(vinylidene fluoride) membrane, referred to as a “meta‐skin” insulator, which is able to confine acoustic waves in an all‐angle and wide spectrum range due to tremendous impedance mismatch at stable air/water interfaces, viz., the Cassie–Baxter state is demonstrated. By utilizing the meta‐skin insulator with broadband and high throughput, orbital‐angular‐momentum multiplexing at a high spectral efficiency and binary coding along large‐angle bending channels for bit‐error‐free acoustic data transmission in an underwater environment are demonstrated. Very different from optical and/or electrical cable communications, acoustic waves can be simply and effectively coupled into remote meta‐skin acoustic fibers from free space, which is technologically significant for long‐haul and anti‐interference communication. This work can enlighten many fluidic applications based on efficient waveguiding, such as in vivo ultrasound medical treatment and imaging.