Fabrication of polyvinyl alcohol porous composites coating nonwoven fabric for robust sound absorption properties

This work has investigated the fabrication of polyvinyl alcohol based porous composites incorporated with nanofillers for enhanced sound absorption. Activated carbon was modified with polydopamine to improve surface compatibility and porosity, and combined with nano-TiO2 to form composite sound-absorbing membrane. SEM, FTIR, XPS, and BET characterizations have confirmed the successful surface modification, with increased specific surface area, and optimized pore structures. The result has revealed that the adjustment of activated carbon particle size, polydopamine coating time, and filler content significantly improve sound absorption, especially in middle to low frequency ranges. Moreover, resonance structures incorporating nonwoven fabrics matrix demonstrated enhanced low-frequency absorption by introducing membrane-cavity systems. The synergy between porous dissipation and membrane resonance offered a promising approach to overcome the low-frequency limitations of traditional porous materials. This study provides a scalable strategy for fabricating lightweight, high-performance sound absorption composites with potential engineering applications.