PUBLICATIONS

Advanced Devices for Energy Conversion

Journals

Nature Communications
년도 2025
학술지명 Nature Communications
논문명 A reconfigurable piezo-ionotropic polymer membrane for sustainable multi-resonance acoustic sensing
게재권/집 16/1
수록페이지 8180
저자명 Wu Bin Ying†, Joo Sung Kim†, Zhengyang Kong†, Zhe Yu, Elvis K. Boahen, Fenglong Li, Chao Chen, Ying Tian, Ji Hong Kim, Hanbin Choi, Jung-Yong Lee, Jin Zhu* and Do Hwan Kim*
Link 관련링크 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-63643-4 413회 연결

Abstract


Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common form of deafness, typically resulting from the loss of sensory cells on the basilar membrane, which cannot regenerate and thus lose sensitivity to sound vibrations. Here, we report a reconfigurable piezo-ionotropic polymer membrane engineered for biomimetic sustainable multi-resonance acoustic sensing, offering exceptional sensitivity (530 kPa-1) and broadband frequency discrimination (20 Hz to 3300 Hz) while remaining resistant to “dying”. The acoustic sensing capability is driven by an ion hitching-in cage effect intrinsic to the ion gel combined with fluorinated polyurethane. In this platform, the engineered ionotropic polymer stretches under acoustic vibrations, allowing cations to penetrate the widened hard segments and engage in strong ion-dipole interactions (cation···F), thereby restricting ion flux and amplifying impedance changes. Additionally, the sensor’s sustainability is ensured through its self-healing properties and hydrophobic components, which enable effective self-repair in both conventional and aqueous environments without ion leakage, achieving a room-temperature healing speed of 0.3–0.4 μm/min. This sustainable acoustic sensing technology enables the devices to reliably identify specific sounds in everyday environments (e.g., human voices, piano notes), demonstrating their potential application as artificial basilar membranes.