A reconfigurable piezo-ionotropic polymer membrane for sustainable multi-resonance acoustic sensing

Abstract

Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common form of deafness, typically resulting from the loss of sensory cells on the basilar membrane, which cannot regenerate and thus lose sensitivity to sound vibrations. Here, we report a reconfigurable piezo-ionotropic polymer membrane engineered for biomimetic sustainable multi-resonance acoustic sensing, offering exceptional sensitivity (530 kPa^-1) and broadband frequency discrimination (20 Hz to 3300 Hz) while remaining resistant to “dying”. The acoustic sensing capability is driven by an ion hitching-in cage effect intrinsic to the ion gel combined with fluorinated polyurethane. In this platform, the engineered ionotropic polymer stretches under acoustic vibrations, allowing cations to penetrate the widened hard segments and engage in strong ion-dipole interactions (cation···F), thereby restricting ion flux and amplifying impedance changes. Additionally, the sensor’s sustainability is ensured through its self-healing properties and hydrophobic components, which enable effective self-repair in both conventional and aqueous environments without ion leakage, achieving a room-temperature healing speed of 0.3–0.4 μm/min. This sustainable acoustic sensing technology enables the devices to reliably identify specific sounds in everyday environments (e.g., human voices, piano notes), demonstrating their potential application as artificial basilar membranes.