Phononic crystals with continuously tunable bandgap based on giant electrorheological elastomers

Phononic crystals, a class of acoustic metamaterials, have garnered significant attention due to their ability to inhibit the propagation of sound waves within specific frequency ranges. This property renders them highly promising for various applications. The development of phononic crystals with continuously tunable bandgaps has become a key research focus. However, previously developed tunable phononic crystals often suffer from limited tuning ranges, complex structural designs, and insufficient coverage in high-frequency regions. In this study, using multiphysics simulations, we propose a novel approach to constructing tunable phononic crystals using giant electrorheological elastomers. By applying an external electric field, the tunable bandgap range of the phononic crystal can be significantly expanded to 1084–7006 Hz—increased to 34.43 times compared to the constant range at zero field. In addition, the proposed phononic crystals exhibit effective transmission control and successfully achieve waveguiding functionality.