Converting Underwater Noise Pollution into Electricity: Acoustic Sensors to Make Informed Decisions for Unmanned Underwater Vehicles

Abstract It is vital to regulate and decrease underwater noise pollution. As sea ice is thinned by warming temperature in the climate crisis, the ice becomes an ineffective sound dampener. This exacerbates underwater noise that is already damaging marine ecosystems, because it changes the behaviors of animals that use sound to navigate, communicate, breed and feed. While streamlined hulls and propellers, marine vibroseis, and air bubble curtains can minimize noise pollution, these approaches are not generic solutions for all sources of underwater noise. In this proposal I will develop a brand-new class of highly efficient, solution-processed acoustic sensor that uses organic mixed ionic electronic conductors to convert acoustic energy to electricity in sea water. I anticipate the sensors in arrays that are painted onto unmanned undersea vehicles as low-maintenance coatings, where the arrays have reflectivity of 50?dB which enables the sensors to silence equipment and therefore produce zero underwater noise pollution. Such sensor arrays can provide information about equipment mechanical health and gather information from the environment to make informed decisions about routing vehicles into optimum positions. The successful completion of this work will impact the Navy''s 2020 Ocean Policy Implementation Plan, acoustic and oceanic mapping, search and rescue, the emergent underwater internet of things, and sectors such as shipping and offshore construction.