Loudspeakers developed using nanotechnology perform just as well underwater according to a group of researchers from University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). InAVate has already reported on nanotube sheets that can create powerful, invisible speakers but the recent development reveals the products have high underwater sound generation efficiency. Researches say the lightweight, flexible and scalable speakers are well suited to underwater applications for the military.
Ali Aliev, a research scientist at the Alan G. MacDiarmid NanoTech Institute, Adjunct Professor at School of Natural Sciences & Mathematics of UTD, together with Ray H. Baughman and members of his group reported their findings in the journal, Nano Letters.
Nanowerk, a website dedicated to nanotechnology and nanoscience, reported that the team had observed that carbon nanotubes immersed in water can still generate sound thermo-acoustically at frequencies 1 Hz - 100 KHz, despite the huge thermal capacity of water and its low thermal expansion.
"Underwater Sound Generation Using Carbon Nanotube Projectors"