Acoustic matching layer material and preparation method thereof, acoustic matching layer and preparation method thereof, ultrasonic transducer, ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic imaging device

Abstract

The invention relates to an acoustic matching layer material and a preparation method thereof, an acoustic matching layer and a preparation method thereof, an ultrasonic transducer, an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic imaging device. The sound matching layer material comprises the following components by volume fraction: 5%-50% of PZT powder, 10%-50% of glass beads, 5%-50% of metal oxide powder and 20%-80% of a binder. In the sound matching layer material, the PZT powder plays a role in improving the sound impedance of the sound matching layer, the glass beads are used for reducing the sound impedance of the sound matching layer, the metal oxide powder can reduce the sound attenuation of the sound matching layer, and the binder can bond the PZT powder, the glass beads and the metal oxide powder. According to the combination and the percentage range, the acoustic impedance of the acoustic matching layer formed by the acoustic matching layer material can be regulated and controlled from 6.3 Mray to 12.2 Mray, and the problem that the acoustic impedance of the piezoelectric material and the acoustic impedance of the medium are not matched in multiple scenes is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of ultrasonic transducers, and in particular to an acoustic matching layer material and a preparation method thereof, an acoustic matching layer and a preparation method thereof, an ultrasonic transducer, an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic imaging device. Background Art

[0002] Ultrasonic transducers are devices that convert electrical signals into ultrasonic waves and ultrasonic signals into electrical signals. They are widely used in ultrasonic diagnosis and ultrasonic nondestructive testing. Ultrasonic transducers usually include a backing, a piezoelectric material, and a matching layer. Among them, the role of the matching layer is to solve the problem of mismatching the acoustic impedance between the medium and the piezoelectric material, thereby improving the sensitivity of the transducer. However, since the acoustic impedance of piezoelectric materials is about 35 Mrayl, and the acoustic impedance of human tissue, water, and other media is about 1.5 Mrayl to 5 Mrayl, this mismatch in acoustic impedance will make it difficult to transmit energy to the medium. Summary of the invention

[0003] Based on this, it is necessary to provide an acoustic matching layer material and a preparation method thereof, an acoustic matching layer and a preparation method thereof, an ultrasonic transducer, an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic imaging device in order to solve the problem of acoustic impedance mismatch between piezoelectric materials and media.

[0004] An acoustic matching layer material, wherein the acoustic matching layer material comprises the following components by volume fraction:

[0005] PZT powder 5% to 50%;

[0006] Glass beads 10% to 50%;

[0007] Metal oxide powder 5% to 50%; and

[0008] Binder 20%~80%.

[0009] In the above-mentioned acoustic matching layer material, PZT powder plays a role in improving the acoustic impedance of the acoustic matching layer, glass beads are used to reduce the acoustic impedance of the acoustic matching layer, metal oxide powder can reduce the acoustic attenuation of the acoustic matching layer, and the binder can bond PZT powder, glass beads and metal oxide powder. The combination of these components and the above-mentioned percentage range of each component are determined through a large number of experiments. The above-mentioned combination and percentage range enable the acoustic matching layer formed by the acoustic matching layer material of the present invention to achieve the regulation of acoustic impedance from 6.3 Mrayl to 12.2 Mrayl, solving the problem of acoustic impedance mismatch between piezoelectric materials and media in multiple scenarios.

[0010] In a feasible implementation, the particle size of the PZT powder is 100 nanometers to 100 micrometers, the particle size of the glass microbeads is 100 nanometers to 50 micrometers, and the particle size of the metal oxide powder is 10 micrometers to 300 micrometers.

[0011] In a feasible implementation, the material of the metal oxide powder is selected from at least one of aluminum oxide, tungsten oxide and zinc oxide;

[0012] The binder is selected from at least one of phenolic resin and epoxy resin.

[0013] A method for preparing any of the above-mentioned acoustic matching layer materials comprises uniformly mixing PZT powder, glass beads, metal oxide powder and a binder to obtain the acoustic matching layer material.

[0014] The preparation method of the acoustic matching layer material is simple, and the acoustic matching layer formed by the acoustic matching layer material of the present invention can achieve the regulation of acoustic impedance from 6.3 Mrayl to 12.2 Mrayl by using the above combination and percentage range, thereby solving the problem of acoustic impedance mismatch between piezoelectric materials and media in multiple scenarios.

[0015] An acoustic matching layer is prepared from any of the acoustic matching layer materials mentioned above.

[0016] After experimental verification, the acoustic matching layer prepared based on the above-mentioned acoustic matching layer material can achieve the regulation of acoustic impedance from 6.3 Mrayl to 12.2 Mrayl, solving the problem of acoustic impedance mismatch between piezoelectric materials and media in multiple scenarios.

[0017] A method for preparing an acoustic matching layer comprises solidifying any of the above-mentioned acoustic matching layer materials to obtain the acoustic matching layer.

[0018] In a feasible implementation, the operation of curing any of the above-mentioned acoustic matching layer materials is: placing the acoustic matching layer material into a hot pressing mold for hot pressing, the hot pressing pressure is 1MPa to 5MPa, the hot pressing temperature is 80℃ to 120℃, and the hot pressing time is 0.5h to 2h.

[0019] The preparation method of the acoustic matching layer is simple, and the acoustic matching layer prepared based on the preparation method can achieve the regulation of acoustic impedance from 6.3 Mrayl to 12.2 Mrayl, solving the problem of acoustic impedance mismatch between piezoelectric materials and media in multiple scenarios.

[0020] An ultrasonic transducer comprises the above-mentioned acoustic matching layer.

[0021] After experimental verification, the acoustic matching layer prepared based on the above-mentioned acoustic matching layer material can achieve the regulation of acoustic impedance from 6.3 Mrayl to 12.2 Mrayl, solving the problem of acoustic impedance mismatch between piezoelectric materials and media in multiple scenarios, making the ultrasonic transducer of the technical solution of the present invention more sensitive.

[0022] An ultrasonic probe comprises the ultrasonic transducer mentioned above.

[0023] After experimental verification, the acoustic matching layer prepared based on the above-mentioned acoustic matching layer material can achieve the regulation of acoustic impedance from 6.3 Mrayl to 12.2 Mrayl, solving the problem of acoustic impedance mismatch between piezoelectric materials and media in multiple scenarios, making the ultrasonic probe of the technical solution of the present invention more sensitive.

[0024] An ultrasonic imaging device comprises the ultrasonic probe mentioned above.

[0025] After experimental verification, the acoustic matching layer prepared based on the above-mentioned acoustic matching layer material can achieve the regulation of acoustic impedance from 6.3 Mrayl to 12.2 Mrayl, solving the problem of acoustic impedance mismatch between piezoelectric materials and media in multiple scenarios, making the ultrasonic imaging device of the technical solution of the present invention more sensitive. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In order to make the above-mentioned purpose, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the connotation of the present invention, so the present invention is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0027] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art of the present invention. The terms used herein in the specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items.

[0028] The acoustic matching layer material of one embodiment includes the following components by volume fraction:

[0029] PZT powder 5% to 50%;

[0030] Glass beads 10% to 50%;

[0031] Metal oxide powder 5% to 50%; and

[0032] Binder 20%~80%.

[0033] In the acoustic matching layer material of this embodiment, PZT powder refers to lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric ceramic powder. The English name of lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric ceramics is lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric ceramics, and the chemical formula is Pb(Zr 1-x Ti x )O3. The PZT powder plays a role in improving the acoustic impedance of the acoustic matching layer. The volume fraction of the PZT powder can be any value within the range of 5% to 50%, for example, but not limited to, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45% or 50%.

[0034] In the acoustic matching layer material of this embodiment, glass beads are used to reduce the acoustic impedance of the acoustic matching layer. The volume fraction of the glass beads can be any value in the range of 10% to 50%, for example, but not limited to, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45% or 50%.

[0035] In the acoustic matching layer material of this embodiment, the metal oxide powder can reduce the acoustic attenuation of the acoustic matching layer. The volume fraction of the metal oxide powder can be any value in the range of 5% to 50%, for example, but not limited to, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45% or 50%.

[0036] In the acoustic matching layer material of this embodiment, the binder can bond PZT powder, glass beads and metal oxide powder, and the volume fraction of the binder can be any value in the range of 20% to 80%, for example, but not limited to, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75% or 80%.

[0037] The combination of the above components and the above percentage range of each component are determined through a large number of experiments. The above combination and percentage range enable the acoustic matching layer formed by the acoustic matching layer material of the present invention to achieve the regulation of acoustic impedance from 6.3 Mrayl to 12.2 Mrayl, solving the problem of acoustic impedance mismatch between piezoelectric materials and media in multiple scenarios.

[0038] On the basis of the foregoing embodiment, the particle size of the PZT powder is 100 nanometers to 100 microns, the particle size of the glass beads is 100 nanometers to 50 microns, and the particle size of the metal oxide powder is 10 microns to 300 microns. The combination of these particles of different particle sizes can make the composite material denser. Further, the particle size of the PZT powder can be but not limited to 100 nanometers, 500 nanometers, 1 micron, 10 microns, 50 microns or 100 microns, the particle size of the glass beads can be but not limited to 100 nanometers, 500 nanometers, 1 micron, 10 microns or 50 microns, and the particle size of the metal oxide powder can be but not limited to 10 microns, 50 microns, 100 microns, 200 microns or 300 microns.

[0039] On the basis of the above-mentioned embodiment, the material of the metal oxide powder is selected from at least one of aluminum oxide, tungsten oxide and zinc oxide. In other words, the material of the metal oxide powder is selected from one or a combination of two or more of aluminum oxide, tungsten oxide and zinc oxide. Such materials have high sound velocity and low sound attenuation, which is conducive to obtaining higher acoustic impedance.

[0040] On the basis of the above-mentioned embodiment, the binder is selected from at least one of phenolic resin and epoxy resin. That is to say, the binder is selected from one or a combination of phenolic resin and epoxy resin. These types of binders are cheap and durable, which is conducive to reducing costs.

[0041] In the acoustic matching layer material of the technical solution of the present invention, PZT powder plays a role in improving the acoustic impedance of the acoustic matching layer, glass beads are used to reduce the acoustic impedance of the acoustic matching layer, metal oxide powder can reduce the acoustic attenuation of the acoustic matching layer, and the binder can bond the PZT powder, glass beads and metal oxide powder. The combination of these components and the above percentage range of each component are determined through a large number of experiments. The above combination and percentage range enable the acoustic matching layer formed by the acoustic matching layer material of the present invention to achieve the regulation of acoustic impedance from 6.3 Mrayl to 12.2 Mrayl, solving the problem of acoustic impedance mismatch between piezoelectric materials and media in multiple scenarios.

[0042] In a method for preparing an acoustic matching layer material according to an embodiment of the present invention, PZT powder, glass beads, metal oxide powder and a binder are uniformly mixed to obtain the acoustic matching layer material.

[0043] Among them, PZT powder, glass beads, metal oxide powder and binder are the components of the acoustic matching layer material of the aforementioned embodiment.

[0044] The preparation method of the acoustic matching layer material is simple, and the acoustic matching layer formed by the acoustic matching layer material of the present invention can achieve the regulation of acoustic impedance from 6.3 Mrayl to 12.2 Mrayl by using the above combination and percentage range, thereby solving the problem of acoustic impedance mismatch between piezoelectric materials and media in multiple scenarios.

[0045] An acoustic matching layer according to one embodiment is prepared from any one of the acoustic matching layer materials mentioned above.

[0046] After experimental verification, the acoustic matching layer prepared based on the above-mentioned acoustic matching layer material can achieve the regulation of acoustic impedance from 6.3 Mrayl to 12.2 Mrayl, solving the problem of acoustic impedance mismatch between piezoelectric materials and media in multiple scenarios.

[0047] In one embodiment of a method for preparing an acoustic matching layer, any one of the above-mentioned acoustic matching layer materials is cured to obtain an acoustic matching layer.

[0048] Based on the above implementation, the operation of curing any of the above acoustic matching layer materials is: placing the acoustic matching layer material into a hot pressing mold for hot pressing, the hot pressing pressure is 1MPa to 5MPa, the hot pressing temperature is 80℃ to 120℃, and the hot pressing time is 0.5h to 2h.

[0049] Furthermore, the hot pressing pressure can be any value in the range of 1MPa to 5MPa, for example, but not limited to 1MPa, 2MPa, 3MPa, 4MPa or 5MPa; the hot pressing temperature can be any value in the range of 80°C to 120°C, for example, but not limited to 80°C, 90°C, 100°C, 110°C or 120°C; the hot pressing time can be any value in the range of 0.5h to 2h, for example, but not limited to 0.5h, 1h, 1.5h or 2h.

[0050] The preparation method of the acoustic matching layer is simple, and the acoustic matching layer prepared based on the preparation method can achieve the regulation of acoustic impedance from 6.3 Mrayl to 12.2 Mrayl, solving the problem of acoustic impedance mismatch between piezoelectric materials and media in multiple scenarios.

[0051] An ultrasonic transducer according to one embodiment includes the acoustic matching layer described above.

[0052] After experimental verification, the acoustic matching layer prepared based on the above-mentioned acoustic matching layer material can achieve the regulation of acoustic impedance from 6.3 Mrayl to 12.2 Mrayl, solving the problem of acoustic impedance mismatch between piezoelectric materials and media in multiple scenarios, making the ultrasonic transducer of the technical solution of the present invention more sensitive.

[0053] An ultrasonic probe according to one embodiment includes the ultrasonic transducer described above.

[0054] After experimental verification, the acoustic matching layer prepared based on the above-mentioned acoustic matching layer material can achieve the regulation of acoustic impedance from 6.3 Mrayl to 12.2 Mrayl, solving the problem of acoustic impedance mismatch between piezoelectric materials and media in multiple scenarios, making the ultrasonic probe of the technical solution of the present invention more sensitive.

[0055] An ultrasonic imaging device according to one embodiment includes the ultrasonic probe described above.

[0056] After experimental verification, the acoustic matching layer prepared based on the above-mentioned acoustic matching layer material can achieve the regulation of acoustic impedance from 6.3 Mrayl to 12.2 Mrayl, solving the problem of acoustic impedance mismatch between piezoelectric materials and media in multiple scenarios, making the ultrasonic imaging device of the technical solution of the present invention more sensitive.

[0057] With reference to the above implementation contents, in order to make the technical solution of the present invention more specific, clear and easy to understand, the technical solution of the present invention is now exemplified. However, it should be noted that the contents to be protected by the present invention are not limited to the following embodiments.

[0058] Example 1

[0059] By volume fraction, 10% PZT powder, 10% glass beads, 20% alumina powder and 60% phenolic resin were mixed evenly and put into a hot pressing mold for hot pressing at a pressure of 1 MPa, a temperature of 100°C and a time of 0.5 h to obtain a matching layer material with an acoustic impedance of 6.3 MRayl.

[0060] Example 2

[0061] By volume fraction, 15% PZT powder, 10% glass beads, 30% alumina powder and 45% phenolic resin were mixed evenly and put into a hot pressing mold for hot pressing at a pressure of 2 MPa, a temperature of 120°C and a time of 0.5 h to obtain a matching layer material with an acoustic impedance of 7.6 MRayl.

[0062] Example 3

[0063] By volume fraction, 30% PZT powder, 10% glass beads, 30% alumina powder and 30% phenolic resin were mixed evenly and put into a hot pressing mold for hot pressing at a pressure of 1.5 MPa, a temperature of 120°C and a time of 1 hour to obtain a matching layer material with an acoustic impedance of 9.4 MRayl.

[0064] Example 4

[0065] By volume fraction, 30% PZT powder, 20% glass beads, 30% alumina powder and 20% phenolic resin were mixed evenly and put into a hot pressing mold for hot pressing at a pressure of 1.5 MPa, a temperature of 100°C and a time of 0.5 h to obtain a matching layer material with an acoustic impedance of 10.9 MRayl.

[0066] Example 5

[0067] By volume fraction, 40% PZT powder, 10% glass beads, 30% alumina powder and 20% phenolic resin were mixed evenly and put into a hot pressing mold for hot pressing at a pressure of 2 MPa, a temperature of 110°C and a time of 2 h to obtain a matching layer material with an acoustic impedance of 12.2 MRayl.

[0068] Comparative Example 1

[0069] By volume fraction, 40% PZT powder, 20% glass beads, 30% alumina powder and 10% phenolic resin were mixed evenly and put into a hot pressing mold for hot pressing at a pressure of 2MPa, a temperature of 110°C and a time of 2h. The obtained matching layer material was too loose and had holes.

[0070] Comparative Example 2

[0071] By volume fraction, 2% PZT powder, 3% glass beads, 5% alumina powder and 90% phenolic resin were mixed evenly and put into a hot pressing mold for hot pressing. The hot pressing pressure was 2MPa, the hot pressing temperature was 110℃, and the hot pressing time was 2h. The matching layer material with an acoustic impedance of 2.5MRayl was obtained, which was too low.

[0072] Performance Testing:

[0073] Based on the formula acoustic impedance=density×sound velocity, the acoustic impedances of the matching layer materials of Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Example 2 were calculated to obtain Table 1.

[0074] Density test method: mass divided by volume.

[0075] Sound speed test method: Time difference method: The sound speed is calculated by measuring the time difference between the propagation of sound waves at two different locations. In actual measurement, a short sound wave pulse can be emitted, and then the time is measured when the echo signal is received, so as to measure the propagation time of the sound wave in space.

[0076] Table 1 Performance test results of matching layer materials of Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Example 2

[0077] Performance parameters <![CDATA[Density (g / cm 3 )]]> Speed ​​of sound (m / s) Acoustic impedance (Mrayl) Example 1 2.1 3000 6.3 Example 2 2.4 3186 7.6 Example 3 2.5 3760 9.4 Example 4 2.6 4198 10.9 Example 5 2.7 4518 12.2 Comparative Example 1 / / / Comparative Example 2 1.25 2000 2.5

[0078] As can be seen from Table 1, the acoustic impedance of the matching layer materials of Examples 1 to 5 is 6.3 Mrayl to 12.2 Mrayl, and the above acoustic impedance values ​​are between the acoustic impedance of the piezoelectric material and the acoustic impedance of water, indicating that the acoustic matching layer formed by the acoustic matching layer material of the present invention can achieve the regulation of the acoustic impedance from 6.3 Mrayl to 12.2 Mrayl, solving the problem of acoustic impedance mismatch between piezoelectric materials and media in multiple scenarios. The acoustic impedance of the matching layer material of Comparative Example 2 is relatively small, which is presumably due to the low content of PZT powder (volume fraction of 2%) and glass microbeads (volume fraction of 3%) in Comparative Example 2, resulting in a relatively small acoustic impedance of the obtained matching layer material, which cannot solve the problem of acoustic impedance mismatch between piezoelectric materials and media.

[0079] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0080] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present invention, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary technicians in this field, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present invention shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. An acoustic matching layer material, characterized in that: The acoustic matching layer material includes the following components by volume fraction:

2. The acoustic matching layer material according to claim 1, characterized in that: The particle size of the PZT powder is 100 nanometers to 100 micrometers, the particle size of the glass microspheres is 100 nanometers to 50 micrometers, and the particle size of the metal oxide powder is 10 micrometers to 300 micrometers.

3. The acoustic matching layer material according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of the metal oxide powder is selected from at least one of aluminum oxide, tungsten oxide and zinc oxide; The binder is selected from at least one of phenolic resin and epoxy resin.

4. A method for preparing the acoustic matching layer material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The PZT powder, glass micro beads, metal oxide powder and a binder are uniformly mixed to obtain an acoustic matching layer material.

5. An acoustic matching layer, characterized in that: The acoustic matching layer is prepared from the acoustic matching layer material according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. A method for preparing an acoustic matching layer, characterized in that: The acoustic matching layer material according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is cured to obtain an acoustic matching layer.

7. The method for preparing an acoustic matching layer according to claim 6, characterized in that: The operation of curing the acoustic matching layer material according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is: placing the acoustic matching layer material into a hot pressing mold for hot pressing, the hot pressing pressure is 1MPa to 5MPa, the hot pressing temperature is 80°C to 120°C, and the hot pressing time is 0.5h to 2h.

8. An ultrasonic transducer, characterized in that: The acoustic matching layer according to claim 5 is included.

9. An ultrasonic probe, characterized in that: Comprising the ultrasonic transducer as claimed in claim 8.

10. An ultrasonic imaging device, characterized in that: Comprising the ultrasonic probe according to claim 9.

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