Sonic shrinking of Pickering-stabilised ultrasound contrast agent at a low acoustic amplitude

TL;DR

This study investigates how the absence of a core affects the stability and behavior of Pickering-stabilised ultrasound contrast microbubbles under low acoustic amplitudes, relevant for ultrasonic imaging.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the stability differences of coreless versus core-containing Pickering-stabilised microbubbles during sonication.

Findings

Coreless microbubbles exhibit different stability profiles under sonication.

Presence of a core slightly enhances oscillation amplitude.

Pickering-stabilised microbubbles generate harmonic responses at low amplitudes.

Abstract

Ultrasound contrast agents comprise gas microbubbles surrounded by stabilising elastic or viscoelastic shells. Microbubbles containing liquid or solid cores are referred to as antibubbles. The manufacturing process of long-lived antibubbles involves the adsorption of colloidal particles at the interfaces, a process called Pickering stabilisation. With and without cores present inside, Pickering-stabilised microbubbles generate a harmonic response, even at modest transmission amplitudes. Therefore, Pickering-stabilised ultrasound contrast agents may be of interest in contrast-enhanced ultrasonic imaging. In a previous study, we determined that the presence of a core inside Pickering-stabilised microbubbles slightly hampered the oscillation amplitude compared to identical microbubbles without a core. The purpose of the present study is to determine whether the absence of a core negatively influences the stability of Pickering-stabilised microbubbles under sonication.