Eom, Taein Park, Jun Hong Pyun, Joo Young Park, Minki Lee, Jungmin Park, Eunyoung Choi, Wonseok Han, Sungmin Lee, Seunghyun Lee, Byung Chul Yoo, Dongwon 2025-06-19T04:30:08Z 2025-06-19T04:30:08Z 2025-06-18 2025-07 1944-8244 https://pubs.kist.re.kr/handle/201004/152637 Nanodroplets have emerged as promising contrast agents due to their ability to undergo acoustic droplet vaporization (ADV), enabling size expansion for diverse biological applications such as selective contrast enhancement and localized drug delivery. While ADV has been widely utilized, the influence of acoustic parameters on its dynamics remains poorly understood, despite their potential to modulate ADV efficiency and uniformity, particularly with focused ultrasound (FUS). In this study, we developed a well-defined synthetic and characterization protocol for anionic perfluoropentane (PFP) nanodroplets and systematically investigated the effects of the pulse repetition frequency (PRF) and cycle number on ADV using acoustic signal detection and B-mode ultrasound imaging. In addition, we developed a modified acoustic-thermal model and simulation framework to elucidate the underlying mechanisms governing ADV behavior. Our findings reveal that increasing PRF and cycle number independently lowers ADV thresholds until reaching a saturation point, indicating that excessive ultrasound intensity is unnecessary. The acoustic conditions (PRF = 1000 Hz; cycle number = 175) were successfully applied in vivo, yielding substantial brightness enhancement at both low (0.129) and high (1.4) imaging mechanical indices (MIs), with improved parenchyma (1.86-fold) and vascular (2.21-fold) visualization. This study underscores the critical role of acoustic parameters in achieving precise and controlled ADV, paving the way for nanodroplet-based theranostics in clinical applications. English American Chemical Society The Role of Acoustic Parameters in Droplet Vaporization of Perfluoropentane Nanodroplets for In Vivo Applications Article 10.1021/acsami.5c05638 1 ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, v.17, no.26, pp.37562 - 37576 ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 17 26 37562 37576 Y scie scopus 001510215200001 Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Materials Science, Multidisciplinary Science & Technology - Other Topics Materials Science Article INERTIAL CAVITATION DRUG-DELIVERY ULTRASOUND MICROBUBBLES THRESHOLD BRAIN NANOPARTICLES BEHAVIOR PERFLUOROCARBON NANODROPLETS focused ultrasound acoustic droplet vaporization acoustic parameters nanodroplet perfluoropentane