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Design of a Flow and Pressure-controlled Chamber for Optical Characterization of Microbubble Condensation
The goal of this project is to design and build a pressure and flow control chamber for ultrahigh speed microscopy and study phase-change behavior of microbubble condensation.
Microbubbles show interesting characteristics when subjected to high-frequency ultrasound. These can be employed as contrast agents in medical imaging or for targeted drug delivery in the human body. To correctly characterize their behavior and response to ultrasound, it is necessary to be able to accurately control the flow rate and the static pressure that these bubbles are subjected to. Furthermore, by sub-cooling these bubbles and subjecting them to high pressure, these bubbles can be condensed into micron and sub-micron sized droplets, which also show great promise as acoustically triggered phase-change agents for medical imaging and therapy.
This project proposes to design a suitable chamber in which microbubbles can be subjected to high-frequency ultrasound, and both the static pressure and the flow rate can be controlled as needed. The characterization of the dynamic behavior of microbubbles in our lab is done optically using ultra-high-speed video microscopy. The chamber must be modular and also have the capability for acoustic and optical visualization. Provided the chamber is appropriately fabricated, it would also be interesting to image the condensation process of these bubbles.
Microbubbles show interesting characteristics when subjected to high-frequency ultrasound. These can be employed as contrast agents in medical imaging or for targeted drug delivery in the human body. To correctly characterize their behavior and response to ultrasound, it is necessary to be able to accurately control the flow rate and the static pressure that these bubbles are subjected to. Furthermore, by sub-cooling these bubbles and subjecting them to high pressure, these bubbles can be condensed into micron and sub-micron sized droplets, which also show great promise as acoustically triggered phase-change agents for medical imaging and therapy.
This project proposes to design a suitable chamber in which microbubbles can be subjected to high-frequency ultrasound, and both the static pressure and the flow rate can be controlled as needed. The characterization of the dynamic behavior of microbubbles in our lab is done optically using ultra-high-speed video microscopy. The chamber must be modular and also have the capability for acoustic and optical visualization. Provided the chamber is appropriately fabricated, it would also be interesting to image the condensation process of these bubbles.
The following tasks are to be completed:
• Learning about the topic: Understanding the lab and reading
• Modelling, Designing and fabricating the chamber by taking into account the necessary geometrical constraints (size and position of transducer(s), optical transparency …)
• Initial measurements for the pressure: The device has to sustain a high amount of static pressure (> 1 MPa) and provide controllable pressurization rates
• Imaging of microbubble condensation: Test the device capability by imaging condensation of different bubble sizes at different pressure rates
• Temperature control inside the chamber: Provided sufficient time, either active or passive temperature control of the chamber
• Documentation: Report, poster, mid-term and final presentations
The following tasks are to be completed:
• Learning about the topic: Understanding the lab and reading
• Modelling, Designing and fabricating the chamber by taking into account the necessary geometrical constraints (size and position of transducer(s), optical transparency …)
• Initial measurements for the pressure: The device has to sustain a high amount of static pressure (> 1 MPa) and provide controllable pressurization rates
• Imaging of microbubble condensation: Test the device capability by imaging condensation of different bubble sizes at different pressure rates
• Temperature control inside the chamber: Provided sufficient time, either active or passive temperature control of the chamber
• Documentation: Report, poster, mid-term and final presentations
For further information regarding the project, contact Dr. Gazendra Shakya via email (gshakya@ethz.ch).
For further information regarding the project, contact Dr. Gazendra Shakya via email (gshakya@ethz.ch).