A Mobile Two-Dimensional Ultrasound Focusing System for Personalized Healthcare Applications through a Dodecagonal Quasicrystal Patterned Planar Lens

Ultrasound technology is widely utilized in applications, including tumor treatments, drug delivery, and skin care. However, improvements are required to prevent unwanted damage to non-targeted tissues. The ultrasound focusing technology, represented by the highly intensive focused ultrasound (HIFU) technology, is actively researched to handle this problem. However, current technology is primarily limited in the point focusing of the ultrasound. Some applications, such as drug delivery and skin care, require 2D-focusing of the ultrasound for effective utilization. Based on this necessity, this research proposes the rationally designed dodecagonal quasicrystal patterned (DQP) planar lens, which enables ultrasound focusing in 2D. The custom-built ultrasound scanning setup confirms the 2D focusing behavior of the DQP lens. Furthermore, the developed DQP lens is integrated into the mobile ultrasound 2D focusing (MU2F) system and solved the bulkiness limitation of the HIFU system. The proposed MU2F system is applied in microneedle-mediated drug delivery. The dramatic enhancement in the dissolution efficiency of the drug-containing microneedle (& AP;2.5x) compared with the case without the MU2F system is confirmed. Through the proposed MU2F system, ultrasound-based medical devices may widen their approachability from the clinic to the home.