The book provides a beginners introduction to the way ultrasound acts on bubbles in a liquid to cause bubbles to collapse violently, leading to localised 'hot spots' in the liquid with temperatures of 5000 C and under pressures of several hundred atmospheres. These extreme conditions produce events such as the emission of light, sonoluminescence, with a lifetime of less than a nanosecond, and free radicals that can initiate a host of varied chemical reactions (sonochemistry) in the liquid, all at room temperature. The physics and chemistry behind the phenomena are simply but comprehensively presented. In addition, potential industrial and medical applications of acoustic cavitation and its chemical effects are described and reviewed. The book is suitable for graduate students working with ultrasound and for potential chemists and chemical engineers wanting to understand the basics of how ultrasound acts in a liquid to cause chemical and physical effects.

The book is a carefully structured beginners guide to acoustic cavitation phenomena, i.e., the formation and subsequent collapse of micro bubbles in a liquid exposed to ultrasound. Its chemical effects (sonochemistry) are caused by radicals formed inside bubbles during their collapse as a consequence of the extreme temperatures and pressures created within such bubbles. These free radicals are the basis of many chemical reactions, including, electron transfer reactions, new stable compound formation, initiation of polymerization processes, as well as oxidation reactions leading to molecular degradation. The book guides the reader from the physics of how ultrasound interacts with bubbles to applications of sonochemisty. The applications cover industrial (including food processing) and medical uses of ultrasound. It is useful for the user because it consolidates what is known how ultrasound acts on bubbles, and the chemical consequences of its exposure to a broad range of systems. As ultrasound reactors are widely used in both the laboratory and in commercial processes the book provides a useful fundamental understanding on what lies behind the application in action

Experimental methods on acoustic cavitation and sonochemistry

One can readily begin experiments in the field.

Fundamentals

One can easily understand the physics behind the phenomenon.

Examples of (possible) industrial applications in chemical engineering and environmental technologies

One can easily understand the possibilities for adopting the action of acoustic cavitation with respect to industrial applications.

Examples of (potential) medical applications

One can easily grasp the potential use of the phenomenon to medical applications.

Examples in organic and inorganic chemical synthesis

One can readily understand the many possibilities for applying cavitation chemistry in chemical synthesis.

History

One is clearly introduced to the history of the field and its novel developments."

This book discusses the ultrasonic synthesis, characterization and application of various nanoparticles, as well as the ultrasonic synthesis of metal and inorganic nanoparticles such as noble metals, transition metals, semiconductors, nanocomposites, alloys and catalysts. In addition, it describes the engineering of micro- and nanosystems using ultrasound-responsive biomolecules. In acoustic cavitation, unique phenomena based on bubbles dynamics, extreme high-temperature and pressure conditions, radical reactions, extreme heating and cooling rates, strong shockwaves, and microstreaming are generated, and under certain conditions, mist generation (atomization of a liquid) is effectively induced by ultrasonic irradiation. These unique phenomena can be used to produce various high-performance functional metal and inorganic nanoparticles. Nanoparticles and nanomaterials are key materials in advancing nanotechnology and as such ultrasound and sonochemical techniques for producing nanoparticles and nanomaterials have been actively studied for the last two decades. Although a few professional books related to "ultrasound" and "nanomaterials" have been published, these mainly target professional researchers. This book covers this topic in a way that appeals to graduate students, researchers and engineers.