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Abstract Whether intentionally generating acoustic waves or attempting to mitigate unwanted noise, sound control is an area of challenge and opportunity. This study investigates traditional fabrics as emitters and suppressors of sound. When attached to a single strand of a piezoelectric fiber actuator, a silk fabric emits up to 70 dB of sound. Despite the complex fabric structure, vibrometer measurements reveal behavior reminiscent of a classical thin plate. Fabric pore size relative to the viscous boundary layer thickness is found—through comparative fabric analysis—to influence acoustic‐emission efficiency. Sound suppression is demonstrated using two distinct mechanisms. In the first, direct acoustic interference is shown to reduce sound by up to 37 dB. The second relies on pacifying the fabric vibrations by the piezoelectric fiber, reducing the amplitude of vibration waves by 95% and attenuating the transmitted sound by up to 75%. Interestingly, this vibration‐mediated suppression in principle reduces sound in an unlimited volume. It also allows the acoustic reflectivity of the fabric to be dynamically controlled, increasing by up to 68%. The sound emission and suppression efficiency of a 130 µm silk fabric presents opportunities for sound control in a variety of applications ranging from apparel to transportation to architecture. 

Abstract Polymer membranes with ultrahigh CO₂permeabilities and high selectivities are needed to address some of the critical separation challenges related to energy and the environment, especially in natural gas purification and postcombustion carbon capture. However, very few solution‐processable, linear polymers are known today that access these types of characteristics, and all of the known structures achieve their separation performance through the design of rigid backbone chemistries that concomitantly increase chain stiffness and interchain spacing, thereby resulting in ultramicroporosity in solid‐state chain‐entangled films. Herein, the separation performance of a porous polymer obtained via ring‐opening metathesis polymerization is reported, which possesses a flexible backbone with rigid, fluorinated side chains. This polymer exhibits ultrahigh CO₂permeability (>21 000 Barrer) and exceptional plasticization resistance (CO₂plasticization pressure > 51 bar). Compared to traditional polymers of intrinsic microporosity, the rate of physical aging is slower, especially for gases with small effective diameters (i.e., He, H₂, and O₂). This structural design strategy, coupled with studies on fluorination, demonstrates a generalizable approach to create new polymers with flexible backbones and pore‐forming side chains that have unexplored promise for small‐molecule separations.