Increasing the efficiency of thermoacoustic carbon nanotube sound projectors

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can generate smooth-spectra sound emission over a wide frequency range (1-10(5) Hz) by means of thermoacoustics (TA). However, in the low frequencies f, where the need for large area sound projectors is high, the sound generation efficiency η of open CNT sheets is low, since η proportionality f(2). Together with this problem, the nanoscale thickness of CNT sheets, their high sensitivity to the environment and the high surface temperatures useful for TA sound generation are other drawbacks, which we address here by protective encapsulation of free-standing CNT sheets in inert gases. We provide an extensive experimental study of such closed systems for different thermodynamic regimes and rationalize our observations within a basic theoretical framework. The observed sound pressure levels for encapsulated argon filled TA transducers (130 dB in air and 200 dB underwater in the near field at 5 cm distance, and 100 and 170 dB in the far field at 1 m distance) are Q times higher than those for open systems, where Q is the resonant quality factor of the thin enclosure plates. Moreover, the sound generation efficiency of the encapsulated system increases toward low frequencies (η proportionality 1/f(2)). Another method to increase η in the low frequency region is by modulation of the applied high frequency carrier current with a low frequency resonant envelope. This approach enables sound generation at the frequency of the applied current without the need for additional energy-consuming biasing. The acoustical and geometrical parameters providing further increases in efficiency and transduction performance for resonant systems are discussed.