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Updated: May 1, 2026

Multi-timescale Microscopy Methods for the Characterization of Fluorescently-labeled Microbubbles for Ultrasound-Triggered Drug Release
Published on: June 12, 2021
Effect of surfactant addition on removal of microbubbles using ultrasound
Daisuke Kobayashi1, Yoshiyuki Hayashida2, Kazuki Sano2
1Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama 223-8522, Japan.
Abstract:
It is difficult to control the bubble in a liquid by the external operation, because the behavior of the bubble is controlled in buoyancy and flow of liquid. On the other hand, microbubbles, whose diameter is several decades μm, stably disperse in static liquid because of their small buoyancy and electrical repulsion. When an ultrasound, whose frequency was 2.4 MHz, was irradiated, the milky white microbubbles suspended solution became rapidly clear. In this study, the effects of surfactant addition on the removal of microbubbles from a liquid in an ultrasonic field were investigated. The efficiency of removal of microbubbles decreased with surfactant addition. Surfactant type influenced the size of agglomerated microbubbles, and the efficiency of removal of microbubbles changed. The surface of microbubble was modified by surfactant adsorption, and the steric inhibition influenced the removal of microbubbles.
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