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Ultrasound Transducers

A topical collection in Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This collection belongs to the section "Physical Sensors".

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Editors

Prof. Dr. Xiaoning Jiang

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, North Carolina State University, 911 Oval Drive, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
Interests: micro/nanofabrication of smart materials and structures; ultrasound sensors and transducers; ultrasound imaging, therapy and sensing; sensors and transducers for extreme environments
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jianguo Ma

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
School of Instrumentation and Optoelectronic Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
Interests: piezoelectric ultrasound transducers; multi-frequency ultrasound transducers; optical ultrasound sensing; biomedical ultrasound imaging and therapy; quantitative ultrasound for intelligent diagnosis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Topical Collection Information

Dear Colleagues,

Acoustics has profoundly affected today’s world in a broad range of technologies, including underwater sonar, audio communication, industrial non-destructive testing (NDT), industrial sensing, chemical and biological sensing, smart city, precision actuation, material processing and manufacturing, medical imaging, medical therapy, etc. Ultrasound transducers, such as the converter between mechanical vibrations and electrical signals, have met unprecedented challenges for such a broad range of applications. This Topical Collection aims to bring together recent research and developments on materials, design, fabrication, multiphysics transduction, characterization, system integration, and applications of ultrasound transducers.

In this Topical Collection, we look forward to receiving papers on a wide range of research topics, including but not limited to the following themes:

  • Ultrasound transducer materials/metamaterials and structures;
  • Design and fabrication of various ultrasound transducers, such as piezoelectric, CMUT, PMUT, PC-MUT, and other types of transducers and transducer arrays;
  • Ultrasonic-wave-involved multi-physics transduction, including photoacoustics, optical fiber-based ultrasonic sensing, micro-ring ultrasonic sensing, magnetoacoustic tomography, etc.;
  • Transducer characterization technologies;
  • Integration of ultrasonic systems, including electrical excitation, signal processing, impedance matching, ASIC, etc.;
  • Applications of ultrasound transducers, including biomedical imaging, therapeutic intervention, NDT, acoustic tweezing, smart electronics, ultrasound gene transfection, acoustic-assisted manufacturing, etc.

For this Topical Collection, you are welcome to submit review articles or original research associated with ultrasound transducers and their applications. There is a particular interest in papers with novel designs of ultrasound transducers and ultrasonic applications in biology and medicine.

Prof. Dr. Xiaoning Jiang
Dr. Jianguo Ma
Collection Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the collection website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (6 papers)

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2024

Jump to: 2023, 2022

15 pages, 1459 KiB  
Article
New Torsional Surface Elastic Waves in Cylindrical Metamaterial Waveguides for Sensing Applications
by Piotr Kiełczyński, Krzysztof Wieja and Andrzej Balcerzak
Sensors 2025, 25(1), 143; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25010143 - 29 Dec 2024
Viewed by 602
Abstract
In this paper, we demonstrate that torsional surface elastic waves can propagate along the curved surface of a metamaterial elastic rod (cylinder) embedded in a conventional elastic medium. The crucial parameter of the metamaterial rod is its elastic compliance [...] Read more.
In this paper, we demonstrate that torsional surface elastic waves can propagate along the curved surface of a metamaterial elastic rod (cylinder) embedded in a conventional elastic medium. The crucial parameter of the metamaterial rod is its elastic compliance s44(1)ω, which varies as a function of frequency ω analogously to the dielectric function εω in Drude’s model of metals. As a consequence, the elastic compliance s44(1)ω can take negative values s44(1)ω<0 as a function of frequency ω. Negative elastic compliance (s44(1)ω<0) enables the emergence of new surface states, i.e., new types of surface elastic waves. In fact, the proposed torsional elastic surface waves can be considered as an elastic analog of Surface Plasmon Polariton (SPP) electromagnetic (optical) waves propagating along a metallic rod (cylinder) embedded in a dielectric medium. Consequently, we developed the corresponding analytical equations, for the dispersion relation and group velocity of the new torsional elastic surface wave. The newly discovered torsional elastic surface waves exhibit virtually all extraordinary properties of their electromagnetic SPP counterparts, such as strong subwavelength concentration of the wave energy in the vicinity of the cylindrical surface (r=a) of the guiding rod, very low phase and group velocities, etc. Therefore, the new torsional elastic surface waves can be used in: (a) near-field subwavelength acoustic imaging (super-resolution), (b) acoustic wave trapping (zero group and phase velocity), etc. Importantly, the newly discovered torsional elastic surface waves can form a basis for the development of a new generation of ultrasonic sensors (e.g., viscosity sensors), biosensors, and chemosensors with a very high mass sensitivity. Full article
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17 pages, 8608 KiB  
Article
Optimization of 3D Passive Acoustic Mapping Image Metrics: Impact of Sensor Geometry and Beamforming Approach
by Sarah Therre, Marc Fournelle and Steffen Tretbar
Sensors 2024, 24(6), 1868; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24061868 - 14 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1279
Abstract
Three-dimensional passive acoustic mapping (PAM) with matrix arrays typically suffers from high demands on the receiving electronics and high computational load. In our study, we investigated, both numerically and experimentally, the influence of matrix array aperture size, element count, and beamforming approaches on [...] Read more.
Three-dimensional passive acoustic mapping (PAM) with matrix arrays typically suffers from high demands on the receiving electronics and high computational load. In our study, we investigated, both numerically and experimentally, the influence of matrix array aperture size, element count, and beamforming approaches on defined image metrics. With a numerical Vokurka model, matrix array acquisitions of cavitation signals were simulated. In the experimental part, two 32 × 32 matrix arrays with different pitches and aperture sizes were used. After being reconstructed into 3D cavitation maps, defined metrics were calculated for a quantitative comparison of experimental and numerical data. The numerical results showed that the enlargement of the aperture from 5 to 40 mm resulted in an improvement of the full width at half maximum (FWHM) by factors of 6 and 13 (in lateral and axial dimension, respectively). A larger array sparsity influenced the point spread function (PSF) only slightly, while the grating lobe level (GLL) remained more than 12 dB below the main lobe. These results were successfully experimentally confirmed. To further reduce the GLL caused by array sparsity, we adapted a non-linear filter from optoacoustics for use in PAM. In combination with the delay, multiply, sum, and integrate (DMSAI) algorithm, the GLL was decreased by 20 dB for 64-element reconstructions, resulting in levels that were identical to the fully populated matrix reconstruction levels. Full article
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2023

Jump to: 2024, 2022

16 pages, 7807 KiB  
Article
Development of DMPS-EMAT for Long-Distance Monitoring of Broken Rail
by Wujun Guo, Zhiyang Yu, Hsiang-Chen Chui and Xiaoming Chen
Sensors 2023, 23(12), 5583; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23125583 - 14 Jun 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2117
Abstract
The safety of railway transportation is crucial to social and economic development. Therefore, real-time monitoring of the rail is particularly necessary. The current track circuit structure is complex and costly, posing challenges to monitoring broken tracks using alternative methods. As a non-contact detection [...] Read more.
The safety of railway transportation is crucial to social and economic development. Therefore, real-time monitoring of the rail is particularly necessary. The current track circuit structure is complex and costly, posing challenges to monitoring broken tracks using alternative methods. As a non-contact detection technology with a lower environmental impact, electromagnetic ultrasonic transducers (EMATs) have become a concern. However, traditional EMATs have problems such as low conversion efficiency and complex modes, which can limit their effectiveness for long-distance monitoring. Therefore, this study introduces a novel dual-magnet phase-stacked EMAT (DMPS-EMAT) design comprising two magnets and a dual-layer winding coil arrangement. The magnets are positioned at a distance equal to the wavelength of the A0 wave from each other, while the center distance between the two sets of coils beneath the transducer is also equal to the wavelength. After analyzing the dispersion curves of the rail waist, it was determined that the optimal frequency for long-distance rail monitoring is 35 kHz. At this frequency, adjusting the relative positions of the two magnets and the coil directly underneath to be one A0 wavelength can effectively excite a constructive interference A0 wave in the rail waist. The simulation and experimental results show that DMPS-EMAT excited a single-mode A0 wave, resulting in a 1.35-times increase in amplitude. Full article
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12 pages, 2674 KiB  
Article
Development and Investigation of High-Temperature Ultrasonic Measurement Transducers Resistant to Multiple Heating–Cooling Cycles
by Vaida Vaskeliene, Reimondas Sliteris, Rymantas Jonas Kazys, Egidijus Zukauskas and Liudas Mazeika
Sensors 2023, 23(4), 1866; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23041866 - 7 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2318
Abstract
Usually for non-destructive testing at high temperatures, ultrasonic transducers made of PZT and silver electrodes are used, but this could lead to damage to or malfunction of the ultrasonic transducer due to poor adhesion between PZT and silver. Soldering is one of the [...] Read more.
Usually for non-destructive testing at high temperatures, ultrasonic transducers made of PZT and silver electrodes are used, but this could lead to damage to or malfunction of the ultrasonic transducer due to poor adhesion between PZT and silver. Soldering is one of the most common types of bonding used for individual parts of ultrasonic transducers (protector, backing, matching layer, etc.), but silver should be protected using additional metal layers (copper) due to its solubility in solder. A mathematical modelling could help to predict if an ultrasonic transducer was manufactured well and if it could operate up to 225 °C. The observed von Mises stresses were very high and concentrated in metal layers (silver and copper), which could lead to disbonding under long-term cyclic temperature loads. This paper presents a multilayer ultrasonic transducer (PZT, silver electrodes, copper layers, backing), which was heated evenly from room temperature to 225 °C and then cooled down. In the B-scan, it was observed that the amplitude of the reflected signal from the bottom of the sample decreased with an increase in temperature. However, after six heating–cooling cycles, the results repeated themselves and no signs of fatigue were noticed. This ultrasonic transducer was well manufactured and could be used for non-destructive testing when the environment temperature changes in cycles up to 225 °C. Full article
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17 pages, 3801 KiB  
Article
A PVDF Receiver for Acoustic Monitoring of Microbubble-Mediated Ultrasound Brain Therapy
by Yi Lin, Meaghan A. O’Reilly and Kullervo Hynynen
Sensors 2023, 23(3), 1369; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23031369 - 26 Jan 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3443
Abstract
The real-time monitoring of spectral characteristics of microbubble (MB) acoustic emissions permits the prediction of increases in blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability and of tissue damage in MB-mediated focused ultrasound (FUS) brain therapy. Single-element passive cavitation detectors provide limited spatial information regarding MB activity, [...] Read more.
The real-time monitoring of spectral characteristics of microbubble (MB) acoustic emissions permits the prediction of increases in blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability and of tissue damage in MB-mediated focused ultrasound (FUS) brain therapy. Single-element passive cavitation detectors provide limited spatial information regarding MB activity, greatly affecting the performance of acoustic control. However, an array of receivers can be used to spatially map cavitation events and thus improve treatment control. The spectral content of the acoustic emissions provides additional information that can be correlated with the bio-effects, and wideband receivers can thus provide the most complete spectral information. Here, we develop a miniature polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF thickness = 110 μm, active area = 1.2 mm2) broadband receiver for the acoustic monitoring of MBs. The receiver has superior sensitivity (2.36–3.87 V/MPa) to those of a commercial fibre-optic hydrophone in the low megahertz frequency range (0.51–5.4 MHz). The receiver also has a wide −6 dB acceptance angle (54 degrees at 1.1 MHz and 13 degrees at 5.4 MHz) and the ability to detect subharmonic and higher harmonic MB emissions in phantoms. The overall acoustic performance of this low-cost receiver indicates its suitability for the eventual use within an array for MB monitoring and mapping in preclinical studies. Full article
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2022

Jump to: 2024, 2023

12 pages, 3210 KiB  
Article
Development of a Broadband (100–240 MHz) Surface Acoustic Wave Emitter Devoted to the Non-Destructive Characterization of Sub-Micrometric Thin Films
by Marc Duquennoy, Nikolay Smagin, Tahar Kadi, Mohammadi Ouaftouh and Frédéric Jenot
Sensors 2022, 22(19), 7464; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22197464 - 1 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2674
Abstract
In the ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation of thin films, it is essential to have ultrasonic transducers that are able to generate surface acoustic waves (SAW) of suitably high frequencies in a wide frequency range of between ten and several hundred megahertz. If the characterization [...] Read more.
In the ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation of thin films, it is essential to have ultrasonic transducers that are able to generate surface acoustic waves (SAW) of suitably high frequencies in a wide frequency range of between ten and several hundred megahertz. If the characterization is carried out with the transducer in contact with the sample, it is also necessary that the transducers provide a high level of mechanical displacement (>100 s pm). This level allows the wave to cross the transducer–sample interface and propagate over the distance of a few millimeters on the sample and be properly detected. In this paper, an emitter transducer formed of interdigitated chirp electrodes deposited on 128° Y-cut LiNbO3 is proposed. It is shown that this solution efficiently enables the generation of SAW (displacement level up to 1 nm) in a frequency range of between 100 and 240 MHz. The electrical characterization and a displacement field analysis of SAW by laser Doppler vibrometry are presented. The transducer’s significant unidirectionality is demonstrated. Finally, the characterization of two titanium thin films deposited on silicon is presented as an example. A meaningful SAW velocity dispersion (~10 m/s) is obtained, which allows for the precise estimation (5% of relative error) of the submicrometer thickness of the layers (20 and 50 nm). Full article
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