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Single fibre enables acoustic fabrics via nanometre-scale vibrations

Author

Listed:
  • Wei Yan

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Grace Noel

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Gabriel Loke

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Elizabeth Meiklejohn

    (Rhode Island School of Design)

  • Tural Khudiyev

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Juliette Marion

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Guanchun Rui

    (Case Western Reserve University)

  • Jinuan Lin

    (University of Wisconsin–Madison)

  • Juliana Cherston

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Atharva Sahasrabudhe

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Joao Wilbert

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Irmandy Wicaksono

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Reed W. Hoyt

    (US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine)

  • Anais Missakian

    (Rhode Island School of Design)

  • Lei Zhu

    (Case Western Reserve University)

  • Chu Ma

    (University of Wisconsin–Madison)

  • John Joannopoulos

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Yoel Fink

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Abstract

Fabrics, by virtue of their composition and structure, have traditionally been used as acoustic absorbers1,2. Here, inspired by the auditory system3, we introduce a fabric that operates as a sensitive audible microphone while retaining the traditional qualities of fabrics, such as machine washability and draping. The fabric medium is composed of high-Young’s modulus textile yarns in the weft of a cotton warp, converting tenuous 10−7-atmosphere pressure waves at audible frequencies into lower-order mechanical vibration modes. Woven into the fabric is a thermally drawn composite piezoelectric fibre that conforms to the fabric and converts the mechanical vibrations into electrical signals. Key to the fibre sensitivity is an elastomeric cladding that concentrates the mechanical stress in a piezocomposite layer with a high piezoelectric charge coefficient of approximately 46 picocoulombs per newton, a result of the thermal drawing process. Concurrent measurements of electric output and spatial vibration patterns in response to audible acoustic excitation reveal that fabric vibrational modes with nanometre amplitude displacement are the source of the electrical output of the fibre. With the fibre subsuming less than 0.1% of the fabric by volume, a single fibre draw enables tens of square metres of fabric microphone. Three different applications exemplify the usefulness of this study: a woven shirt with dual acoustic fibres measures the precise direction of an acoustic impulse, bidirectional communications are established between two fabrics working as sound emitters and receivers, and a shirt auscultates cardiac sound signals.

Suggested Citation

  • Wei Yan & Grace Noel & Gabriel Loke & Elizabeth Meiklejohn & Tural Khudiyev & Juliette Marion & Guanchun Rui & Jinuan Lin & Juliana Cherston & Atharva Sahasrabudhe & Joao Wilbert & Irmandy Wicaksono &, 2022. "Single fibre enables acoustic fabrics via nanometre-scale vibrations," Nature, Nature, vol. 603(7902), pages 616-623, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:603:y:2022:i:7902:d:10.1038_s41586-022-04476-9
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04476-9
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Min Chen & Jingyu Ouyang & Aijia Jian & Jia Liu & Pan Li & Yixue Hao & Yuchen Gong & Jiayu Hu & Jing Zhou & Rui Wang & Jiaxi Wang & Long Hu & Yuwei Wang & Ju Ouyang & Jing Zhang & Chong Hou & Lei Wei , 2022. "Imperceptible, designable, and scalable braided electronic cord," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    2. Chong Li & Xinxin Liao & Zhi-Ke Peng & Guang Meng & Qingbo He, 2023. "Highly sensitive and broadband meta-mechanoreceptor via mechanical frequency-division multiplexing," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. Zhuomin Zhang & Xuemu Li & Zehua Peng & Xiaodong Yan & Shiyuan Liu & Ying Hong & Yao Shan & Xiaote Xu & Lihan Jin & Bingren Liu & Xinyu Zhang & Yu Chai & Shujun Zhang & Alex K.-Y. Jen & Zhengbao Yang, 2023. "Active self-assembly of piezoelectric biomolecular films via synergistic nanoconfinement and in-situ poling," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    4. Zheng, Zhifang & Wang, Xiuchen & Hang, Gege & Duan, Jin & Zhang, Jian & Zhang, Wenjing & Liu, Zhe, 2024. "Recent progress on flexible poly(vinylidene fluoride)-based piezoelectric nanogenerators for energy harvesting and self-powered electronic applications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    5. Emmanuel Obed Acquah & Stephen Nyanteh Ayesu & John Francis Annan, 2022. "Harmonic or Non-Harmonic? A Formal and Scientific Analysis of Three Musical Tones in Petzold’s “Minuet In Gâ€," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 6(7), pages 752-763, July.
    6. Ziyuan Che & Xiao Wan & Jing Xu & Chrystal Duan & Tianqi Zheng & Jun Chen, 2024. "Speaking without vocal folds using a machine-learning-assisted wearable sensing-actuation system," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.

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