Related Experiment Videos
Effect of polymer surface activity on cavitation nuclei stability against dissolution
Tyrone M Porter1, Lawrence A Crum, Patrick S Stayton
1Center for Industrial and Medical Ultrasound, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98105, USA. tyrone.porter@uc.edu
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|September 21, 2004
Summary
Surface-active agents like poly(propyl acrylic acid) can influence bubble stability during ultrasound procedures. Lowering surface tension prolongs bubble dissolution, impacting acoustic cavitation persistence.
Area of Science:
- Acoustics
- Materials Science
- Physical Chemistry
Background:
- Acoustic cavitation bubble persistence in pulsed ultrasound relies on bubble survival between pulses.
- Bubble dissolution is influenced by surface tension, suggesting surface-active agents could alter bubble stability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of poly(propyl acrylic acid) (PPAA) on bubble dissolution rates.
- To determine if PPAA's surface activity impacts bubble stability against dissolution in ultrasound.
Main Methods:
- Measured surface tension of PPAA solutions using the Wilhelmy plate technique.
- Exposed PPAA solutions to 1.1 MHz high-intensity focused ultrasound.
- Monitored bubble dissolution using an active cavitation detection scheme.
Main Results:
- Bubble dissolution time was found to be inversely proportional to the solution's surface tension.
- Reduced surface tension led to increased dissolution times for bubbles created by inertial cavitation.
Conclusions:
- Poly(propyl acrylic acid) affects bubble dissolution rates, with lower surface tension increasing bubble persistence.
- Experimental findings align with the Epstein-Plesset equation, indicating larger residual bubble radii at lower surface tensions.