By Dr Daniel Torrent, GROC-UJI, Institut de Noves Tecnologies de la Imatge (INIT), Universitat Jaume I, Castelló, Spain

Short Abstract: Phononic crystals are artificial periodic structures which allow the control of mechanical energy in ways that would be impossible to achieve with natural materials. The major drawback in the application of these structures is their passive nature, i.e., the absence of efficient mechanisms for the dynamic control of their properties, what inhibits them of being used for a great amount of applications.

In this talk, we will show how the extension of the spatial periodicity of the materials to include as well “temporal” periodicity provides phononic crystals of three additional properties: tunability, gain and nonreciprocity. These three properties, if properly combined, can lead to a new set of smart materials for the full control of mechanical and thermal energy