Glass Ultrasonic Metamaterials Enable Wavefront Shaping
New glass-based architecture overcomes the energy losses of 3D-printed materials to support large-area acoustic applications.
Updated on Oct. 21, 2026 in Materials Science
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Researchers have developed an ultrasonic metamaterial architecture by patterning microcracks into glass using subsurface laser engraving. This research-stage platform enables precise wavefront shaping at megahertz frequencies while overcoming the high absorption losses found in existing polymeric materials.
Why it matters
Conventional 3D-printed acoustic materials suffer from high attenuation and energy loss, which restricts device size and limits high-power performance. This glass-based approach offers high thermal stability and low ultrasonic loss, allowing for larger, more efficient acoustic devices.
The architecture uses BK7 glass patterned with 100-μm-scale microcracks created via 9 ns laser pulses to achieve precise acoustic control. This design supports large-area sources exceeding 5 cm, significantly outperforming 3D-printed materials that struggle with energy attenuation.
The details
The platform functions by focusing a high-peak-power pulsed laser into the bulk of the glass to induce localized fractures. These microcracks function as scattering elements that manipulate sound waves, allowing researchers to create complex components like lenses, gratings, waveguides, and acoustic holograms. By leveraging the low ultrasonic loss of glass, the material sustains signal integrity better than polymeric counterparts, which frequently absorb energy at high frequencies.
Timeline
October 21, 2026: The research results were published.
The Tech Race
This development moves beyond standard 3D-printed polymeric phase elements that limit high-power applications due to high absorption. It establishes a new benchmark in acoustic material design by using glass to overcome the size and attenuation constraints inherent in additive manufacturing.
This research currently exists in a laboratory phase and is not yet available for commercial ultrasonic hardware or consumer imaging devices. Engineers and researchers in acoustic sensing and medical imaging may eventually use this to design larger, higher-performance signal processing components.
The takeaway
This glass-based architecture provides a path to high-performance acoustic devices that are not limited by the signal loss of current 3D-printed resins. Researchers will now look to scale this fabrication process to larger volumes to validate the platform for practical, high-power industrial applications.
Further reading
Explore more advances in Materials Science to see how structural design is reshaping acoustics.
More information
View the technical findings in the scientific research article published in Science Advances.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Science.
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