Metamaterials: Acoustics and Wireless Sensing
We develop ultra-open acoustic metamaterials that enable strong sound silencing while preserving airflow. By leveraging interference and phase-gradient design, these platforms achieve broadband noise suppression in highly open structures. This work establishes a scalable foundation for acoustic control, extending to wireless sensing and adaptive wave manipulation.
Over the past several years, we have embarked on an exciting journey to revolutionize acoustic silencing through the innovative design of acoustic metamaterials. Traditional noise reduction methods, while effective, often compromise airflow and ventilation—factors crucial to many practical applications. Previous attempts to address this challenge using acoustic metamaterial-based structures have remained limited by insufficient physical openness. Determined to overcome these constraints, we developed a groundbreaking class of ultra-open metamaterials (UOMs). These UOMs feature highly open physical structures while maintaining exceptional acoustic silencing performance. The UOM paradigm is inherently scalable across frequency regimes, with adaptable geometries suited for diverse implementation schemes to address a wide range of noise sources.
At the heart of this innovation is the realization of an asymmetric acoustic transmission profile through Fano-like interference within a bilayer metamaterial. This profile arises from acoustic interference between the inner ‘open’ region and the outer resonating waveguide of the UOM. As sound waves traverse the structure, they are driven out of phase, producing Fano-like destructive interference that can suppress transmission to near zero. Crucially, this mechanism enables near-total sound attenuation while preserving a high degree of physical openness—a significant advance over conventional technologies.
Building on this foundation, our recent efforts extend the ultra-open paradigm from selective, narrowband operation to broadband acoustic silencing. By introducing controlled phase gradients, we develop phase-gradient ultra-open metamaterials (PGUOMs) that convert incident sound into surface-bound modes, enabling effective suppression over a wide frequency range while maintaining ventilation. This transition marks a critical step from proof-of-concept designs to practical, scalable, and application-ready acoustic technologies.
The potential applications of this technology platform are broad and diverse, spanning industries such as aerospace, automotive, defense, HVAC, and architecture—where airflow and ventilation are essential to overall system performance. Our ongoing efforts continue to evolve ultra-open metamaterial principles into a versatile toolkit for multi-band, broadband, and tunable acoustic silencing. This work represents not only a technical milestone, but a transformative shift in how noise control can be achieved. By enabling effective sound attenuation without compromising airflow, we aim to unlock new possibilities for quieter, more efficient, and more sustainable engineered systems.
While acoustic silencing represents a central focus of this work, the research presented here also includes metasurface-based acoustic wavefront control with simultaneous phase and amplitude modulation, broadband and low-frequency acoustic insulation using labyrinthine and composite resonator designs, reconfigurable and multifunctional acoustic metamaterials for adaptive wave manipulation, and metamaterial-enabled wireless sensing and communication systems. These efforts expand the scope beyond noise mitigation, enabling versatile and unified control of wave propagation across both acoustic and near-field electromagnetic domains, including enhanced power transfer, robust body-area networks, and reliable wireless sensing in complex and extreme environments.
| Representative Publications (# denotes supervised by X. Zhang; * denotes corresponding author: X. Zhang) |
| Physics-aware machine-learning-driven inverse design of broadband ultra-open acoustic metamaterials Z. Yang#, M. Li#, X. Xie#, A. Chen#, T.G. Bifano, and X. Zhang* arXiv, 2026, preprint arXiv:2605.16031 +AbstractVentilated acoustic silencers combing sound attenuation with high ventilation are pivotal for advanced noise control. However, balancing attenuation, bandwidth, openness, and thickness remains a high-dimensional challenge. Here, we report a physics-aware machine-learning-driven inverse design framework for ultra-open acoustic silencers (UAS). By leveraging Green’s function-based parameterization, we physically decouple the design space into spectral and radial parameters, ensuring physical interpretability while reducing complexity. We introduce a two-stage forward prediction architecture that captures broadband envelopes and sharp resonant features via a coarse-to-fine strategy. Coupled with a population-based, hybrid-objective parallel (PHP) inverse strategy, our framework enables rapid exploration of non-convex landscapes, identifying hundreds of optimized candidates within seconds. Crucially, this framework uncovers hidden linear design rules that govern high-performance monolithic designs, acting as geometric proxies for optimal impedance-matching. We experimentally validate a family of prototypes: UAS-2 demonstrates the monolithic limit with high ventilation ratio, while UAS-3 demonstrates versatility in multi-mode interactions. To circumvent the trade-off ceiling of single-unit resonators, a parallel-composite architecture (UAS-4) is introduced to enhance performance through spatial interference distribution. Results confirm a broadband bandwidth exceeding 830 Hz achieved with an ultra-thin profile (0.1-0.2{\lambda}) and 80% ventilation. This work establishes a data-driven paradigm for discovering design principles in functional metamaterials.
|
| Phase gradient ultra open metamaterials for broadband acoustic silencing Z. Yang#, A. Chen#, X. Xie#, S.W. Anderson, and X. Zhang* Scientific Reports — Nature, 2025, 15: 21434 +AbstractNoise pollution is a persistent environmental concern with severe implications for human health and resources. Acoustic metamaterials offer the potential for thin silencing devices; however, existing designs often lack practical openness and are thereby limited by their functional bandwidths. This paper introduces a novel approach utilizing a phase gradient ultra-open metamaterial (PGUOM) to address these challenges. The PGUOM, characterized by a phase gradient across three unit cells, efficiently transforms incident waves into spoof surface waves, effectively blocking sound while allowing for a high degree of ventilation. Our design provides adjustable openness, accommodates various boundary conditions, and ensures sustained broadband sound insulation. Theoretical, numerical, and experimental validations demonstrate the efficacy of our concept. This innovative approach represents a significant advancement in ventilated acoustic metamaterials, providing both ventilation and high-performance, broadband sound insulation simultaneously.
|
| Electrically-shielded coil-enabled battery-free wireless sensing for underwater environmental monitoring K. Wu#, X. Zhu#, S.W. Anderson, and X. Zhang* Advanced Science, 2025, 12(14): 2414299 +AbstractBattery-free wireless sensing in extreme environments, such as conductive solutions, is crucial for long-term, maintenance-free monitoring, eliminating the limitations of battery power and enhancing durability in hard-to-reach areas. However, in such environments, the efficiency of wireless power transfer via radio frequecny (RF) energy harvesting is heavily compromised by signal attenuation and environmental interference, which degrade antenna quality factors and detune resonance frequencies. These limitations create substantial challenges in wirelessly powering miniaturized sensor nodes for underwater environmental monitoring. To overcome these challenges, electrically-shielded coils with coaxially aligned dual-layer conductors are introduced that confine the electric field within the coil’s inner capacitance. This configuration mitigates electric field interaction with the surrounding medium, making the coils ideal for use as near-field antennas in aquatic applications. Leveraging these electrically-shielded coils, a metamaterial-enhanced reader antenna was developed and a 3-axis sensor antenna for an near-field communication (NFC)-based system. The system demonstrated improved spectral stability, preserving resonance frequency and maintaining a high-quality factor. This advancement enabled the creation of a battery-free wireless sensing platform for real-time environmental monitoring in underwater environments, even in highly conductive saltwater with salinity levels of up to 3.5%.
|
| Two-sided acoustic modulator for broadband and individual control of reflected and transmitted sound waves A. Chen# and X. Zhang* Physical Review Applied, 2024, 22(4): 044010 +AbstractAcoustic wave modulation plays a pivotal role in various applications, including sound-field reconstruction, wireless communication, and particle manipulation, among others. However, current acoustic metamaterial and metasurface designs typically focus on controlling either reflection or transmission waves, often overlooking the coupling between the amplitude and phase of acoustic waves. To fill this gap, we propose and experimentally validate a design enabling complete control of reflected and transmitted acoustic waves individually across a frequency range of 4 to 8 kHz, allowing arbitrary combinations of amplitude and phase for reflected and transmitted sound in a broadband manner. Additionally, we demonstrate the significance of our approach for sound manipulation by achieving acoustic diffusion, reflection, and focusing, and generating a two-sided three-dimensional hologram at three distinct frequencies. These findings open an alternative avenue for extensively engineering sound waves, promising applications in acoustics and related fields.
|
| A robust near-field body area network based on coaxially-shielded textile metamaterial X. Zhu#, K. Wu#, X. Xie#, S.W. Anderson, and X. Zhang* Nature Communications, 2024, 15: 6589 +AbstractA body area network involving wearable sensors distributed around the human body can continuously monitor physiological signals, finding applications in personal healthcare and athletic evaluation. Existing solutions for near-field body area networks, while facilitating reliable and secure interconnection among battery-free sensors, face challenges including limited spectral stability against external interference. Here we demonstrate a textile metamaterial featuring a coaxially-shielded internal structure designed to mitigate interference from extraneous loadings. The metamaterial can be patterned onto clothing to form a scalable, customizable network, enabling communication between near-field reading devices and battery-free sensing nodes placed within the network. Proof of concept demonstration shows the metamaterial’s robustness against mechanical deformation and exposure to lossy, conductive saline solutions, underscoring its potential applications in wet environments, particularly in athletic activities involving water or significant perspiration, offering insights for the future development of radio frequency components for a robust body area network at a system level.
|
| Angle-variant metamaterial with reconfigurable phase modulation A. Chen#, Z. Yang#, S.W. Anderson, and X. Zhang* Physical Review Applied, 2024, 21(1): 014062 +AbstractAcoustic metamaterials introduce unprecedented ways by which to modulate acoustic waves in amplitude, phase, or both. Reconfigurable acoustic metamaterials yield advantages when compared to conventional metamaterials due to their flexible geometry and feasibility in realizing versatile functions. Herein, a reconfigurable acoustic metamaterial based on the angle-variant unit cells is proposed and demonstrated. Two orientation states of the V-shaped unit cell are selected to maximize the phase-shift-modulation effect. Furthermore, a metamaterial consisting of 18 components is fabricated, each of which is composed of 18 V-shaped unit cells in different orientation states. The components of the metamaterial may be readily reconfigured to deliver various phase-shift profiles in order to achieve on-demand acoustic functions. In addition, this rotation mechanism can be predictably improved by integrating motors for dynamic real-time reconfiguration. In this study, a series of acoustic functions, including acoustic focusing, splitting, and diffusion, are numerically and experimentally demonstrated. Additionally, an acoustic blocker design is also proposed. The results we present herein demonstrate the promise of our design in wave control. This work extends the realm of reconfigurable acoustic metamaterials and provides an alternative path for multifunctional acoustic wave modulation.
|
| Composite acoustic metamaterial for broadband low-frequency acoustic attenuation A. Chen#, Z. Yang#, X. Zhao#, S. Anderson, and X. Zhang* Physical Review Applied, 2023, 20(1): 014011 +AbstractWe propose a composite acoustic metamaterial consisting of Mie resonators and a Helmholtz resonator array. Such a design achieves a broadband acoustic attenuation in the low-frequency regime. This wideband soundproofing effect may be explained using the transfer-matrix method and the lumped-element model. Transmission loss and transmittance are robust and tested both numerically as well as experimentally. Through the composite design, using a deep-subwavelength structure, we successfully achieve a broadband low-frequency acoustic attenuation that blocks over 90% of incident acoustic energy within a frequency range of 1250 Hz. Our work offers a design paradigm by which to realize extraordinary airborne acoustic silencing in low-frequency regimes.
|
| Broadband labyrinthine acoustic insulator A. Chen#, X. Zhao#, Z. Yang#, S. Anderson, and X. Zhang* Physical Review Applied, 2022, 18(6): 064057 +AbstractVentilated acoustic insulation currently represents one of the most promising research directions in applied acoustics. With the ongoing development and application of acoustic metamaterials, tremendous progress has been made in this space. In this work, we propose a ventilated acoustic insulator based on a labyrinthine metamaterial, a design that consists of a peripheral, circumferential labyrinthine region and a central ventilated, open region. Herein, we demonstrate the potential for this design to yield high-performance wide-band acoustic insulation, a performance metric currently lacking in this class of acoustic silencers, in combination with ventilation. The silencing effect of the labyrinthine acoustic insulator is theoretically and experimentally verified in the frequency range from 1025 to 2000 Hz. Our reported design establishes the foundation for the development of increasingly broadband ventilated acoustic insulators.
|
| Metamaterial-enhanced near-field readout platform for passive microsensor tags K. Wu#, G. Duan#, X. Zhao#, C. Chen#, S.W. Anderson, and X. Zhang* Microsystems & Nanoengineering — Nature, 2022, 8: 28 +AbstractRadiofrequency identification (RFID), particularly passive RFID, is extensively employed in industrial applications to track and trace products, assets, and material flows. The ongoing trend toward increasingly miniaturized RFID sensor tags is likely to continue as technology advances, although miniaturization presents a challenge with regard to the communication coverage area. Recently, efforts in applying metamaterials in RFID technology to increase power transfer efficiency through their unique capacity for electromagnetic wave manipulation have been reported. In particular, metamaterials are being increasingly applied in far-field RFID system applications. Here, we report the development of a magnetic metamaterial and local field enhancement package enabling a marked boost in near-field magnetic strength, ultimately yielding a dramatic increase in the power transfer efficiency between reader and tag antennas. The application of the proposed magnetic metamaterial and local field enhancement package to near-field RFID technology, by offering high power transfer efficiency and a larger communication coverage area, yields new opportunities in the rapidly emerging Internet of Things (IoT) era.
|
| Ultra-open acoustic metamaterial silencer based on Fano-like interference R. Ghaffarivardavagh#, J. Nikolajczyk#, S. Anderson, and X. Zhang* Physical Review B, 2019, 99(2): 024302 +AbstractRecently, with advances in acoustic metamaterial science, the possibility of sound attenuation using subwavelength structures, while maintaining permeability to air, has been demonstrated. However, the ongoing challenge addressed herein is the fact that among such air-permeable structures to date, the open area represents only small fraction of the overall area of the material. In the presented paper in order to address this challenge, we first demonstrate that a transversely placed bilayer medium with large degrees of contrast in the layers’ acoustic properties exhibits an asymmetric transmission, similar to the Fano-like interference phenomenon. Next, we utilize this design methodology and propose a deep-subwavelength acoustic metasurface unit cell comprising nearly 60% open area for air passage, while serving as a high-performance selective sound silencer. Finally, the proposed unit-cell performance is validated experimentally, demonstrating a reduction in the transmitted acoustic energy of up to 94%. This ultra-open metamaterial design, leveraging a Fano-like interference, enables high-performance sound silencing in a design featuring a large degree of open area, which may find utility in applications in which highly efficient, air-permeable sound silencers are required, such as smart sound barriers, fan or engine noise reduction, among others.
|
| Horn-like space-coiling metamaterials toward simultaneous phase and amplitude modulation R. Ghaffarivardavagh#, J. Nikolajczyk#, R.G. Holt, S. Anderson, and X. Zhang* Nature Communications, 2018, 9: 1349 +AbstractAcoustic metasurfaces represent a family of planar wavefront-shaping devices garnering increasing attention due to their capacity for novel acoustic wave manipulation. By precisely tailoring the geometry of these engineered surfaces, the effective refractive index may be modulated and, consequently, acoustic phase delays tuned. Despite the successful demonstration of phase engineering using metasurfaces, amplitude modulation remains overlooked. Herein, we present a class of metasurfaces featuring a horn-like space-coiling structure, enabling acoustic control with simultaneous phase and amplitude modulation. The functionality of this class of metasurfaces, featuring a gradient in channel spacing, has been investigated theoretically and numerically and an equivalent model simplifying the structural behavior is presented. A metasurface featuring this geometry has been designed and its functionality in modifying acoustic radiation patterns experimentally validated. This class of acoustic metasurface provides an efficient design methodology enabling complete acoustic wave manipulation, which may find utility in applications including biomedical imaging, acoustic communication, and non-destructive testing.
|
| Ph.D. Dissertation |
| Acoustic wavefront modulation with acoustic metamaterials Ao Chen, Ph.D. Dissertation, Boston University (Advisor: Xin Zhang; May 2026) |
| Spectral control with metamaterials: From tunable high-Q THz resonances to ultra-open acoustic silencing Zhiwei Yang, Ph.D. Dissertation, Boston University (Advisor: Xin Zhang; April 2026) |
| Tailoring acoustic waves with metamaterials and metasurfaces Reza Ghaffarivardavagh, Ph.D. Dissertation, Boston University (Advisor: Xin Zhang; September 2019) |
| Selected Media Articles |
| Making the World a Lot Quieter No More Noise: Metamaterials Can Make the World a Quieter Place American Scientist: Custom-Tuned Materials ENGineer Magazine: New Textile for Smarter, Sturdier Fitness Tracking Tech This Smarter Sound Shield Blocks More Noise—Without Blocking Air |
| YouTubes |
| Acoustic Metamaterial Noise Cancellation Device |
Click image to view full screen
Click image to view full screen
Click image to view full screen
Click image to view full screen
Click image to view full screen
Click image to view full screen
Click image to view full screen
Click image to view full screen
