Bubbleparticles

Bubbleparticles are engineered colloidal particles consisting of a gaseous core encapsulated by a stabilized shell, designed to behave as buoyant, mobile inclusions in liquid media. They range from sub-micron to several micrometers in diameter and are used as functional carriers or as responsive scatterers in various fields.

Common shell materials include lipids, polymers, silica, and hybrid composites. The gas inside is typically air, nitrogen, or a perfluorocarbon, selected for solubility and stability. The shell provides mechanical protection against dissolution and determines the particle’s interactions with the surrounding fluid and biological systems.

Bubbleparticles are produced by methods such as emulsification with gas formation, thin-film hydration with gas infusion, or microfluidic generation of gas-sheath droplets, often combined with surfactants or stabilizing polymers to prevent coalescence and gas diffusion.

They have applications in ultrasound contrast imaging, where gas cores strongly scatter sound; in targeted drug delivery, where payloads can be released upon acoustic activation; in materials science as acoustically responsive fillers; and as tracers for fluid dynamics or environmental sensing.

Key challenges include maintaining shell integrity under pressure, controlling gas diffusion and lifetime, and ensuring biocompatibility for biomedical uses. While some bubbleparticles overlap with clinically used microbubbles, the broader concept encompasses a wider range of gas-filled, encapsulated particles under active research.