POS5-0970
Basilar Membrane-Inspired Piezo-Ionotropic Polymer Sensor for Broadband Multi-Resonance Acoustic Sensing
Topic
S5. Polymers for Electronics and Photonics
When and Where
Oct 1, 2026
08:30 - 09:30
Room 301 (Grand Ballroom)
Session Chairs
Jinkee HONG
Ki Su KIM
Presenter(s)
Limin Deng (KAIST)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
Broadband acoustic sensing with frequency-selective resolution is essential for artificial auditory systems. While conventional microphones are generally designed to capture acoustic signals with a uniform broadband response, biological hearing relies on tonotopic resonance in the basilar membrane to decompose sound into spatially distributed frequency information. Inspired by this principle, frequency-selective resonance can be exploited not as signal distortion, but as a strategy for enhanced sensitivity and acoustic frequency discrimination.
Here, we present a piezo-ionotropic polymer acoustic sensor composed of eight sensing channels with different polymer membrane thicknesses. Each channel possesses a distinct resonance frequency determined by its membrane thickness, with thicker membranes shifting the resonance response toward higher acoustic frequencies. This discrete thickness-programmed architecture enables multiple resonance modes within a single integrated device, allowing broadband acoustic frequency discrimination.
The sensing mechanism is based on resonance-amplified deformation coupled with ion-dynamic impedance modulation. Under acoustic stimulation, membrane vibration dynamically reconfigures the polymer–ion environment, activating the ion hitching-in cage effect that restricts ionic transport and increases impedance. At the resonance frequency, amplified vibration induces the strongest ion hitching-in cage effect and therefore the largest impedance modulation, resulting in peak frequency-specific sensitivity. By combining basilar membrane-inspired structural design with ion-dynamic signal amplification, this work demonstrates a soft polymer platform for broadband acoustic sensing, with potential applications in artificial auditory membranes and next-generation acoustic interfaces.
Here, we present a piezo-ionotropic polymer acoustic sensor composed of eight sensing channels with different polymer membrane thicknesses. Each channel possesses a distinct resonance frequency determined by its membrane thickness, with thicker membranes shifting the resonance response toward higher acoustic frequencies. This discrete thickness-programmed architecture enables multiple resonance modes within a single integrated device, allowing broadband acoustic frequency discrimination.
The sensing mechanism is based on resonance-amplified deformation coupled with ion-dynamic impedance modulation. Under acoustic stimulation, membrane vibration dynamically reconfigures the polymer–ion environment, activating the ion hitching-in cage effect that restricts ionic transport and increases impedance. At the resonance frequency, amplified vibration induces the strongest ion hitching-in cage effect and therefore the largest impedance modulation, resulting in peak frequency-specific sensitivity. By combining basilar membrane-inspired structural design with ion-dynamic signal amplification, this work demonstrates a soft polymer platform for broadband acoustic sensing, with potential applications in artificial auditory membranes and next-generation acoustic interfaces.
