Ferroelectric polymer-based flexible and transparent transducers for biomedical ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging.
- 1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA.
- 2Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA.
Abstract
Ferroelectric polymers are promising materials for flexible and transparent biomedical ultrasound transducers because of their mechanical compliance, low acoustic impedance, broad bandwidth, optical transparency, and scalable processing. PVDF and its copolymers enable lightweight, conformal interfaces for wearable ultrasound, high-frequency imaging, and photoacoustic/optoacoustic detection, although their relatively modest electromechanical coupling and transmit efficiency remain limitations. This review connects advances in ferroelectric polymer materials with transducer design and biomedical imaging performance. We discuss PVDF, P(VDF-TrFE), relaxor terpolymers, and polymer composites, emphasizing phase and morphotropic phase boundary engineering, molecular modification, and composite strategies. Transducer principles, architectures, fabrication, and performance trade-offs in sensitivity, bandwidth, resolution, penetration depth, flexibility, and stability are critically reviewed. Recent applications in wearable ultrasound, transparent photoacoustic imaging, and ultra-high-frequency and intravascular imaging are highlighted. Finally, challenges and opportunities in material performance, array integration, acoustic coupling, reliability, scalable manufacturing, and multimodal imaging are discussed.
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BibTeX
@article{zhang2026ferroelectric,
title = {{Ferroelectric polymer-based flexible and transparent transducers for biomedical ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging.}},
author = {Lin Zhang and Senyang Xiao and Shenghao Wu and Jun Xia and Qifa Zhou},
journal = {Photoacoustics},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.pacs.2026.100899},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42997519},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Ferroelectric polymer-based flexible and transparent transducers for biomedical ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging.
AU - Lin Zhang
AU - Senyang Xiao
AU - Shenghao Wu
AU - Jun Xia
AU - Qifa Zhou
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/27
JO - Photoacoustics
DO - 10.1016/j.pacs.2026.100899
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42997519
AB - Ferroelectric polymers are promising materials for flexible and transparent biomedical ultrasound transducers because of their mechanical compliance, low acoustic impedance, broad bandwidth, optical transparency, and scalable processing. PVDF and its copolymers enable lightweight, conformal interfaces for wearable ultrasound, high-frequency imaging, and photoacoustic/optoacoustic detection, although their relatively modest electromechanical coupling and transmit efficiency remain limitations. This review connects advances in ferroelectric polymer materials with transducer design and biomedical imaging performance. We discuss PVDF, P(VDF-TrFE), relaxor terpolymers, and polymer composites, emphasizing phase and morphotropic phase boundary engineering, molecular modification, and composite strategies. Transducer principles, architectures, fabrication, and performance trade-offs in sensitivity, bandwidth, resolution, penetration depth, flexibility, and stability are critically reviewed. Recent applications in wearable ultrasound, transparent photoacoustic imaging, and ultra-high-frequency and intravascular imaging are highlighted. Finally, challenges and opportunities in material performance, array integration, acoustic coupling, reliability, scalable manufacturing, and multimodal imaging are discussed.
SN - 2213-5979
ER -