Everybody is familiar with bubbles in one way or another. They are part of our daily lives and look simple, however bubbles are quite complex systems with an intricate physics behind their behavior and even existence. The science of bubbles has developed to a point where they are successfully used for cleaning, cutting, improving contrast in ultrasound imaging and medical treatment for lithotripsy just to cite a few. Additionally, research on their applicability for cancer treatment, drug delivery and to prevent decompression sickness (DCS), among others, is being actively explored. However, there is still serious lack of knowledge on their dynamics that is preventing a wider range of possible applications to develop.

Moreover, very recently the research area has been challenged with the tiniest version of bubbles: nano-bubbles, which do not follow the theories applied for larger ones. Actually, they should not be stable for more than milliseconds, yet they are found stable for months.

At the Bubble Dynamics Laboratory of the University of Puerto Rico – Mayaguez, cutting edge research is being conducted for understanding, producing and characterizing milli- micro- and nano-bubbles through the design of acoustic resonators. We develop experimental systems for validation and/or formulation of theoretical models involving the generation and collapse of bubbles.

Specific research is being carried out for DCS prevention (funded by the Puerto Rico Science Technology and Research Trust and by an NSF SBIR Phase I grant with SIL Technologies LLC grant#1721595), DCS treatment (a project that has just being recommended for funding by NIH SBIR Phase I program), nanoparticles production (funded by ONR grant# N00014-14-1-0836), and basic knowledge on the bubble dynamics.