Management

Microbubbles are bubbles smaller than one millimetre in diameter, but larger than one micrometre. They are used in medical diagnostics as a contrast agent for ultrasound imaging. In practice, due to the fact that gas bubbles in liquid lack stability and would therefore quickly dissolve, microbubbles must be encapsulated with a solid shell. The shell is made from either a lipid or a protein such as Optison microbubbles which consist of perfluoropropane gas encapsulated by a serum albumin shell.

Very small encapsulated gas bubbles (diameters of micrometers) that can be used as CONTRAST MEDIA, and in other diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Upon exposure to sufficiently intense ultrasound, microbubbleswill cavitate, rupture, disappear, release gas content, etc. Such characteristics of the microbubbles can be used to enhance diagnostic tests, dissolve blood clots, and deliver drugs or genes for therapy.

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There has been a lot of research on micro bubbles in recent years:

Micro bubbles are miniature gas bubbles of less than 50 microns diameter in water. The micro bubbles, which mostly contain oxygen or air, can remain suspended in the water for an extended period. Gradually, the gas within the micro bubbles dissolves into the water and the bubbles disappear. These bubbles are generated by various types of aerators now available in the market. 

These micro bubbles, being of extremely small size, are characterized by having electrical charges. They attract suspended floating particles very effectively. This particular property has been used in sludge treatment by using the micro bubbles to capture and float organic matters, thus decreasing the time required for the sludge treatment. 

Micro bubbles have also been introduced by the Japanese to market safe and good tasting oysters. Micro bubbles of concentrated oxygen containing about 2% ozone can be used to inactivate norovirus in shellfish and oysters. This norovirus is one of the major...