Mechanical Properties of Silicone Rubber Acoustic Lens Material Doped with Fine Zinc Oxide Powders for Ultrasonic Medical Probe

Abstract

The mechanical properties of high-temperature-vulcanization silicone (Q) rubber doped with zinc oxide (ZnO) fine powders have been investigated to develop an acoustic lens material with high reliability. The ZnO-doped Q rubber with an acoustic impedance (Z ) of 1:46 Â 10 6 kgÁm À2 Ás À1 showed a tear strength of 43 N/mm and an elongation of 560%. These mechanical property values were about 3 times higher than those of conventional acoustic Q lens materials. The ZnO-doped Q rubbers also showed a lower abrasion loss. These superior characteristics are attributable to the microstructure with fewer origins of breaks; few pores and spherical fine ZnO powder. The high mechanical properties of ZnO-doped Q rubber acoustic lenses enable higher performance during long-life and safe operation during diagnosis using medical array probe applications.