Thermophones using carbon nanotubes and alternative nanostructures for high power sound generation and noise cancellation

There is a large promise for thermophones in high power sonar arrays, flexible loudspeakers and noise cancellation devices. The freestanding aerogel-like carbon nanotube sheet as a thermoacoustic (TA) heat source demonstrates so far the best performance. However, the limited accessibility of large size free standing carbon nanotube sheets and other even more exotic materials published recently, hampers the field. I present here new alternative materials for TA heat source with high energy conversion efficiency, additional functionalities, environmentally friendly and cost effective production technologies. I discuss the TA performance of alternative nanoscale materials and compare their spectral and power dependencies of sound pressure in air. The study presented here focuses on engineering of thermal gradients in the vicinity of nanostructures and subsequent heat dissipation processes from the interior of encapsulated thermoacoustic projectors. Applications of TA projectors for high power SONAR arrays, sound cancellation, and optimal thermal design, regarding enhanced energy conversion efficiency, are discussed.