Preparation of Nanoparticle-Loaded Microbubbles via an Electrohydrodynamic Atomization Process

Microbubbles have been widely used in many research fields due to their outstanding physicochemical properties and unique structural characteristics, especially as ultrasonic contrast agents and drug delivery carriers. However, the stability of conventional microbubbles is generally poor, which limits the development of their applications. Loading nanoparticle to microbubbles has great potential in enhancing the stability of microbubbles. This paper reports for the first time the feasibility of one-step preparation of nanoparticle-loaded microbubbles by coaxial electrohydrodynamic atomization. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used as the model material of the bubble shell layer to study the effect of the loading of nanoparticles on the stability of microbubbles. The results show that the concentration of nanoparticles has a significant impact on the stability of microbubbles, and loading an appropriate amount of nanoparticles is helpful in improving the stability of microbubbles. The results also show that nanoparticle-loaded microbubbles with a size distribution in the range of 120-200 mu m can be prepared under optimal conditions.