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Temperature dependences of thermal, thermogravimetric, and acoustic properties were investigated for the crystalline silk fibroin films crystallized by methanol exposure. The crystallization peak in the thermal flow at ~ 225 ◦ C, which was prominent in the amorphous silk film, disappeared in the crystalline silk film. The heat-treatment at ~ 100 ◦ C for 1 h reduced the weight by ~5.5% due to the release of water molecules. The formation of beta-sheets in the film did not have any substantial effect on the acoustic properties of the longitudinal acoustic mode in the crystalline film. However, the heat treatment of the methanol-exposed silk film induced clear anomalies in the acoustic mode behaviors in a specific temperature range between −20 ~ 30 ◦ C. The existence of water molecules has more profound effect than the crystallinity does on the acoustic properties of silk fibroin films.

The acoustic properties of three polystyrene polymers with different molecular weights were investigated as a function of temperature by using Brillouin light scattering. The longitudinal sound velocity showed a change in the slope, which depended on the molecular weight, at the glass transition temperature. The absorption coefficient exhibited a maximum above the glass transition temperature, and the maximum temperature became higher as the molecular weight was increased. Comparison with previous acoustic studies on polystyrene indicate that a substantial frequency dispersion caused by strong coupling between the longitudinal acoustic waves and the segmental motions exists in the high-temperature range.

The elastic properties of a biocompatible silk film were investigated under temperature and pressure variations by using Brillouin spectroscopy. The Brillouin frequency shift decreased monotonically upon heating and showed a sudden change at the glass transition temperature. The existence of water molecules in the film increased the longitudinal modulus by approximately 10% and induced a relaxation peak in the hypersonic damping at ~60 ◦ C. The pressure dependences of the sound velocities of the longitudinal and the transverse acoustic modes and the refractive index were determined for the first time at pressures up to ~15.5 GPa. All these properties increased upon compression; these changes indicated that the free volume in the silk film collapsed at a pressure of about 3 GPa.

The temperature dependences of the acoustic properties and the dielectric relaxation times of polydimethylsiloxane were investigated by using high-resolution Brillouin and broadband dielectric spectroscopies. The longitudinal sound velocity showed a large increase upon approaching the glass transition temperature while the acoustic absorption coefficient exhibited a maximum at ~263 K. Comparison of these results with previous ultrasonic data revealed a substantial frequency dispersion of the acoustic properties of this silicone-based elastomer. The relaxation times derived from the acoustic absorption peaks were consistent with the temperature dependence of the dielectric relaxation time of the structural a process, indicating a strong coupling between the acoustic waves and the segmental motions of the main chains.

The elastic properties of lead-free (Na1/2Bi1/2)TiO3-BaTiO3 single crystals near the morphotropic phase boundary were investigated by using Brillouin spectroscopy at room temperature. The measured longitudinal elastic constants of unpoled single crystals with a BaTiO3 content of 5% exhibited large changes depending on the scattering geometry, indicating that a substantial acoustic dispersion effect exists in this system. This was attributed to the relaxor nature due to inherent disorder in the A-site of the perovskite structure.

The acoustic properties of biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were investigated as a function of either temperature or pressure by using Brillouin spectroscopy. The Brillouin frequency shift of the longitudinal acoustic mode of both biaxially-oriented and amorphous PET materials showed a change in the slope near 80 °C, which was the approximate glass transition temperature. The acoustic damping of amorphous PET exhibited large values near the melting temperature compared to that of semicrystalline PET. This indicated stronger coupling between the acoustic waves and the structural relaxation process in the amorphous state. The pressure dependences of the sound velocities were investigated at pressures up to 8.5 GPa by using a diamond anvil cell. The pressure-density relationship could be obtained based on the Birch-Murnaghan equation of state.