High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound-Induced Thermal Effect for Solid Polymer Materials

In this study, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)-induced thermal effects for solid polymer materials are investigated systematically. Infrared camera imaging is used to monitor temperature changes. The effects of polymer structure, HIFU power, and sample thickness on the thermal effect are studied. The results show that the HIFU-induced heating effect is very quickly, and can be controlled spatially and temporally. More importantly, it is obviously different for different polymers. The main reason is attributed to the various inner friction behaviors of macromolecular chains. This fundamental study is helpful to understand the interaction mechanism between HIFU and polymer, when HIFU is used as a trigger for drug release, shape memory, etc.