Experimental measurement of the size distribution of microbubbles prepared by reciprocating syringe technique

Abstract

Microbubbles have captured the attention of scholars due to their exceptional physical and chemical properties that exhibit practical applications. Transcranial Doppler ultrasound is a diagnostic tool used in clinical medicine to identify patent foramen ovale (PFO) heart disease caused by incomplete fusion of primary and secondary septum after birth, using microbubbles. The volume of gas and size of the bubbles determine the consequences of air entering the bloodstream. Therefore, it is imperative to investigate stable and efficient microbubble generation technology. The team designed and developed a new type of bubble generator and performed basic research on the flow and mixing rules in the gas-liquid two-phase system in the syringe. The shadow imaging method was used to explore the influence of the equipment operation parameters on the experimental system's microbubble flow process. After analyzing multiple sets of experimental data, it was found that the diameter of bubbles decreases as the frequency increases. After ten times of high-frequency reciprocating movement of the equipment, the microbubble size distribution is mainly between 10–100 μm, the mean diameter is between 23–26 μm, and the relative standard deviation is less than 4.5 %. Compared to manual methods, the device exhibits good accuracy and repeatability.