Acoustic calculation in low frequency sonopheresis based on bubble dynamics

Abstract

As a type of transdermal permeability enhancement, low frequency sonophoresis (LFS) has been studied for more than twenty years. The acoustic pressure in LFS is a crucial ultrasonic parameter to improve the permeability, but it is difficult to measure in the drug donor because of its small size and narrow shape. In this paper, an acoustic-piezoelectric coupling model is established based on bubble dynamics, which can be utilized to calculate the acoustic pressure distributions in LFS using a commercial finite element software called COMSOL multiphysics. The calculated results of acoustic pressure are in accordance with the measured values, so this model has great potential for theoretical analyses in acoustic fields of LFS. Calculated and experimental results show that the maximum acoustic pressure is under the transducer's head, and the value dropped as away from the head due to the acoustic attenuation caused by cavitation; the transducer head should be closer to the skin to obtain larger acoustic pressure on the skin. Therefore, this model can be used to simulate and analyze the characteristics of acoustic fields, as a theoretical tool for the structural design of the ultrasonic transducer applied in LFS.