发表机构
ESPCI Paris, Université PSL, CNRS; ID4US（巴黎高等物理化工学院，巴黎文理研究大学，法国国家科学研究中心; ID4US）
机构由 AI 辅助整理，请以论文原文为准。AI 中文总结
本研究开发了一种可重复使用的充液弹性体超声耦合剂，通过微胶囊化二醇与三醇实现力学和声学性能独立调控，兼具皮肤级柔软度与软组织匹配的声学特性，可用于生物医学及工业领域。
AI 中文摘要
耦合剂对于超声相关应用不可或缺，其作用是确保声波在换能器与目标之间无缝传播。现有的水基或油基凝胶耦合剂虽具备出色的声学耦合性能，但为一次性使用，无法适用于可穿戴健康监测、基于超声的生物识别设备、延长的声动力治疗等新兴应用。作为替代方案，聚合物基固体耦合剂已被探索作为可重复使用的解决方案，但通常无法同时提供有效的力学贴合性与高效的声传输。本研究提出一种基于硅酮弹性体基质的创新复合材料设计，通过二醇与三醇的微胶囊化实现对力学与声学性能的独立定制。采用基于乳液的材料配方策略制备了一系列含液滴体积分数高达75%的高液滴含量弹性体复合材料，建立了可靠的材料配方策略，可对所得力学与声学性能进行独立参数控制。确定了一种含70%甘油的特定组合物并将其应用于生物医学领域，该组合物展现出与皮肤相当的力学柔软度，且声学性能与软组织匹配。该材料已被集成至功能性超声表征设备中，验证了其结构均匀性及所提出耦合剂的适用性；此外，该复合材料对具有表面不规则性的刚性基底具备力学贴合性，也有望成为工业应用的候选材料。
英文摘要
Couplants are indispensable for ultrasound-based applications to ensure seamless propagation of the acoustic waves between the transducer and targets. Existing hydro/oil-based gel couplants provide excellent acoustic coupling but are single-use and therefore not suitable for emerging applications such as wearable health monitoring, ultrasound-based biometric devices, and prolonged sonodynamic therapy. Alternatively, polymer-based solid couplants have been explored as reusable solutions but generally fail to simultaneously provide effective mechanical conformability and efficient acoustic transmission. Here, we propose an innovative composite material design based on a silicone elastomer matrix, in which mechanical and acoustic properties are tailored independently through the microencapsulation of diols and triols. An emulsion-based material formulation strategy is employed to produce a family of high-liquid droplet content elastomeric composites containing up to 75 volume fraction (%) of liquid. A robust material formulation strategy is established that enables independent parametric control over the resulting mechanical and acoustic properties. A specific composition containing 70 % glycerol has been identified and explored for biomedical applications, exhibiting mechanical softness comparable to that of skin and acoustic properties matching those of soft tissues. The material has been integrated into a functional ultrasound characterization device, demonstrating structural homogeneity and applicability of the proposed couplant. Furthermore, the composites exhibit mechanical conformability to stiff substrates with surface irregularities, making them also promising candidates for industrial applications.
