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The remarkable properties of topological insulators have inspired numerous studies on topological transport for bulk waves, but the demonstrations of topological edge states with tunable frequency are few attempts. Here, we report on the active frequency tunability of topologically protected edge states for in-plane bulk waves by applying a thermal field. We find that the center frequency of topological band gap is shifted down and the band width is enlarged as the temperature increases. Meanwhile, the frequency range of topologically protected edge states is also shifted to low frequency region with the higher temperature. Furthermore, the robust propagation of in-plane bulk waves along a desired path is demonstrated within different frequency bands. The tunable frequency for both topological band gaps and topologically protected edge states achieves the active control of the transport for in-plane bulk waves, which may dramatically facilitate practical applications of novel phononic devices.

We propose two-dimensional reconfigurable phononic crystal slabs that support topologically protected edge states for Lamb waves. It consists of a triangular lattice of triangular-like air holes perforated in a slab and two sandwich cylinders are placed in the matrix of each unit cell. The pseudospin–orbit coupling is achieved by shifting the sandwich cylinders up or down. The robust transport of Lamb waves along reconfigurable interfaces is further demonstrated. The dynamically reconfigurable design provides an excellent platform for tuning the frequency range of topological edge states and steering efficient transport of Lamb waves along arbitrary pathways, which can be employed for elastic-wave communications, signal processing, and sensing.

Topological insulator (TI) that possesses topologically protected characteristic of guiding the wave against disorders and structural perturbations without backscattering has attracted significant research interest in various fields including electromagnetic, acoustic and elastic system. However, for the mechanical system, realizing an elastic analogue of three-dimensional (3D) TI supporting the topologically protected wave propagation in two-dimensional (2D) plane is still a challenge due to the complicated mode polarization of elastic wave in 3D. This paper theoretically and experimentally investigates the robust and layer-selective transports of elastic wave in 3D monolayer- and bilayer-stacked plate-like metamaterial structures. Firstly, considering 3D monolayer-stacked structure, the 2D valley surface states are achieved numerically along the 2D projected plane based on the mechanism of quantum valley Hall effect. The simulation and experimental measurement are performed to confirm the robust transport of 3D elastic wave and backscattering immunity against the straight channel and sharp bends. Then, by stacking the monolayer into bilayer with a twisted angle of 60°, non-zero interlayer coupling of elastic valley layer is introduced and the layer-related topological phase is revealed in the 3D bilayer-stacked structure, giving rise to the 2D topological layer-dependent surface states. Finally, the 3D robust layer-selective transports of elastic wave are tested by experiment. This research provides exciting application perspectives for ultrasonic devices with robustness, lower-power consumption and high-dimensional manipulation.

Negative refraction of elastic waves has attracted significant research interest due to its potential prospects in acoustic imaging, communication, and structural health monitoring. However, previous implementations based on Bragg interference suffer from lattice-scale size restrictions or defect-sensitive characteristics, hindering their application in compact subwavelength systems. Here, we propose a new design of ternary valley-Hall phononic crystals (PCs) with subwavelength topological negative refraction. By introducing the subwavelength resonators into a complex lattice similar to graphene allotrope, the valley polarized edge modes induced by locally resonant state are obtained, and the defect-immune topological negative refraction of the edge states outcoupling into free space is established. Furthermore, the total mode conversion from longitudinal to transverse waves is demonstrated by the wave mode separation and the equifrequency curves (EFCs) analysis on the negative refraction. Finally, utilizing the valley-selective excitation, a topological elastic valley filter is designed by coupling the valley-projected edge states with bulk valley polarizations. The research provides new possibilities for robust control of isolated transverse elastic waves in the deep subwavelength regime that can be employed for designing compact communication devices.

In this paper, through numerical simulation of the first order shear horizontal guided waves propagation in a homogeneous tapered plate, we have realized sound unidirectional transmission based on the mode conversion mechanism. We also find that the contrast transmission ratio of unidirectional transmission is highly influenced by the slope angle of tapered edge. And the working frequency range of the asymmetric transmission can be easily controlled by the height of tapered surface or the thickness of slab. This asymmetric system shows potentially significant applications in various sound devices.

The phenomenon of the broadband transmission enhancement of acoustic waves is important for its prospective applications in various devices. To achieve broadband transmission enhancement of acoustic waves, we investigate the acoustic transmission in a metallic grating device with linearly tapered slits through eigen-mode matching theory (EMMT) and finite element (FE) simulation. The tapering provides a gradual filling fraction variation from the entrance to the exit of the slits, destroying the Fabry–Perot resonance and thus leading to broadband and wide-angle enhanced transmission in the audible regime. In addition, acoustic waves are strongly localized and enhanced at the slit exits, in contrast with straight slits.

ThxynA, an extracellular xylanase of T. halotolerans YIM 90462 T , was purified to homogeneity from a fermentation broth by ultra-filtration, ammonium sulphate precipitation, hydrophobic chromatography and ion exchange chromatography. The purified xylanase has a molecular mass of 24 kDa and is optimally active at 80 °C and pH 6.0. The enzyme is stable over a broad pH range (pH 6.0–10.0) and shows good thermal stability when incubated at 70 °C for 1 h. The K m and V max values of the enzyme are 11.6 mg/mL and 434 μmol mg −1 min −1 , respectively, using oat spelt xylan as a substrate. Moreover, the enzyme seemingly has both xylanase activity and cellulase activity. These unique properties suggest that it may be useful for industrial applications.

A xylanase gene (thxyn11A) from the Thermobifida halotolerans strain YIM 90462T was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The open reading frame (ORF) of thxyn11A has 1,008 bp encoding a mature xylanase with a high degree of similarity (80 %) to the xylanase from Nocardiopsis dassonvillei subsp. dassonvillei DSM 43111. This enzyme (Thxyn11A) also possesses a glycosyl hydrolases family 11 (GH11) domain and a high isoelectric point (pI = 9.1). However, Thxyn11A varies from most GH11 xylanases, due to its large molecular mass (34 kDa). Recombinant Thxyn11A demonstrated a strong pH and temperature tolerance with a maximum activity at pH 9.0 and 70 °C. Xylotriose, the end-product of xylan hydrolysis by Thxyn11A, serves as a catalyst for hemicellulose pretreatment in industrial applications and can also function as a food source or supplement for enterobacteria. Due to its attractive biochemical properties, Thxyn11A may have potential value in many commercial applications.

We investigated theoretically the band structures of Lamb waves in a one-dimensional (1D) phononic crystal (PC) plates coated symmetrically or asymmetrically with finite Tungsten or Silicon loading layers on both sides. Numerical results show that when a thin PC plates is bordered with Silicon loading layers, the midgap frequency of the first band gap of the S 0 mode increases approximately linearly with the increase of the thickness of solid loading layers; this is contrary to the trend of a thin plates bordered with Tungsten loading layers. These properties can be applied to design acoustic sensors for multilayer materials detection and aircraft icing forecast.

Using the plane-wave expansion method, we study the propagation of Lamb wave mode in three-component phononic crystals plates. The influence of filling fraction, material parameters and especially the ratio of the thickness of the plates to the lattice period on the band gaps of Lamb wave mode are analyzed by numerical simulations. The optimum gap is obtained by tuning the thickness of the plates and the filling fraction.