The behavior of acoustic bubbles in aqueous solutions containing soluble polymers

Abstract

The effects of the water-soluble polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) on the multibubble sonoluminescence (MBSL) intensity generated in aqueous solutions exposed to ultrasound at the two ultrasound frequencies of 20 and 363 kHz have been examined. In both cases, the presence of PVP, at concentrations of up to 2 g/100 mL, was found to enhance the MBSL intensity emitted from the solutions. On the basis of the intensity behavior of the SL observed from aqueous solutions containing PVP/surfactant and PVP/alcohol mixtures, it is suggested that PVP enhances MBSL by increasing the number of active bubbles in the system by hindering bubble-bubble coalescence processes and probably also by changing the..