The Future of Silence Is Here

MIT researchers have developed a silk fabric that suppresses sound using vibrations, offering two techniques: canceling noise through interference and preventing its transmission

We live in a world filled with constant noise. From the hum of traffic outside to a neighbor’s blaring TV or the chatter in a co-worker’s cubicle, unwanted noise is an ongoing challenge.

To address this issue, a team of interdisciplinary researchers from MIT and other institutions has developed an innovative silk fabric designed to suppress sound and create quieter spaces.

This fabric, as thin as a human hair, features a special fiber that vibrates when voltage is applied. The researchers utilized these vibrations to suppress sound in two distinct ways.

The first method uses the fabric to generate sound waves that interfere with and cancel out unwanted noise, much like noise-canceling headphones. However, while effective in small areas, this technique is less practical in larger spaces like rooms or airplanes.

The second, more surprising technique involves keeping the fabric still, which blocks the vibrations that transmit sound. By halting this sound transmission, the fabric significantly reduces noise in larger areas, making it ideal for spaces like rooms or vehicles.

By using common materials like silk, canvas, and muslin, the researchers created noise-suppressing fabrics that would be practical to implement in real-world spaces. For instance, one could use such a fabric to make dividers in open workspaces or thin fabric walls that prevent sound from getting through.

“Noise is a lot easier to create than quiet. In fact, to keep noise out we dedicate a lot of space to thick walls. [First author] Grace’s work provides a new mechanism for creating quiet spaces with a thin sheet of fabric,” says Yoel Fink, a professor in the departments of Materials Science and Engineering and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, a Research Laboratory of Electronics principal investigator, and senior author of a paper on the fabric.

The study’s lead author is Grace (Noel) Yang SM ’21, PhD ’24. Co-authors include MIT graduate students Taigyu Joo, Hyunhee Lee, Henry Cheung, and Yongyi Zhao; Zachary Smith, the Robert N. Noyce Career Development Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT; graduate student Guanchun Rui and professor Lei Zhu of Case Western University; graduate student Jinuan Lin and Assistant Professor Chu Ma of the University of Wisconsin at Madison; and Latika Balachander, a graduate student at the Rhode Island School of Design. An open-access paper about the research was published in Advanced Materials.