Observation of cavitation dynamics in viscous deep eutectic solvents during power ultrasound sonication†

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are a class of ionic liquid with emerging applications in ionometallurgy. The characteristic high viscosity of DESs, however, limit mass transport and result in slow dissolution kinetics. Through targeted application of high-power ultrasound, ionometallurgical processing time can be significantly accelerated. This acceleration is primarily mediated by the cavitation generated in the liquid surrounding the ultrasound source. In this work, we characterise the development of cavitation structure in three DESs of increasing viscosity, and water, via high-speed imaging and parallel acoustic detection. The intensity of the cavitation is characterised in each liquid as a function of input power of a commercially available ultrasonic horn across more than twenty input powers, by monitoring the bubble collapse shockwaves generated by intense, inertially collapsing bubbles. Through analysis of the acoustic emissions and bubble structure dynamics in each liquid, optimal driving powers are identified where cavitation is most effective. In each of the DESs, driving the ultrasonic horn at lower input powers (25%) was associated with greater cavitation performance than at double the driving power (50%).