Experimental study of active path block in a multi-bifurcated flow by microbubble aggregation

We previously reported our attempts at the active control of microbubble aggregations using acoustic radiation force, which propels microbubbles and adjusts the size of aggregations. However, because we used simple-shape artificial blood vessels, the behavior of aggregations in a small channel, e.g., the probability to obstruct the bloodstream, and the possibility of embolization, has not been predicted. Thus, we designed and fabricated a multi-bifurcated artificial blood vessel to apply to the production and active control of microbubble aggregations. Then, we introduced two kinds of ultrasound transducers for producing and propelling aggregations. First, we produced aggregations in a flow to measure their size and investigate their variation according to the emission duration of ultrasound. Then, we control the aggregations in an artificial blood vessel to verify their controllability. When ultrasound was stopped, the aggregations flaked off the vessel wall and flowed downstream, were propelled to the desired path, and finally were caught at a narrow path. We verified the same experiment under similar parameters to calculate the probability of realizing a path block. When the flow velocity was 20mm/s, almost 50% of the aggregations were induced to flow through the desired path and a maximum probability of realizing a path block of 86% was achieved with the formation of aggregations.