• Neurospine
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.306-322
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• 2018

This review introduces the current technique of photoacoustic imaging as it is applied in imaging-guided surgery (IGS), which provides the surgeon with image visualization and analysis capabilities during surgery. Numerous imaging techniques have been developed to help surgeons perform complex operations more safely and quickly. Although surgeons typically use these kinds of images to visualize targets hidden by bone and other tissues, it is nonetheless more difficult to perform surgery with static reference images (e.g., computed tomography scans and magnetic resonance images) of internal structures. Photoacoustic imaging could enable real-time visualization of regions of interest during surgery. Several researchers have shown that photoacoustic imaging has potential for the noninvasive diagnosis of various types of tissues, including bone. Previous studies of the surgical application of photoacoustic imaging have focused on cancer surgery, but photoacoustic imaging has also recently attracted interest for spinal surgery, because it could be useful for avoiding pedicle breaches and for choosing an appropriate starting point before drilling or pedicle probe insertion. This review describes the current instruments and clinical applications of photoacoustic imaging. Its primary objective is to provide a comprehensive overview of photoacoustic IGS in spinal surgery.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.158-165
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• 2017

The physical shape of an ultrasound transducer has not been considered in previous studies of the photoacoustic saturation effect, where a photoacoustic signal's magnitude linearly increases as an absorption coefficient increases and it is finally saturated. In this paper, the effect of a spherically focused ultrasound transducer on photoacoustic nonlinearity is investigated. The focused ultrasound transducer's spatial filtering effect on photoacoustic signals is analytically derived considering the combined concept of a virtual point detector and Green function approach. The ultrasound transducer's temporal response (i.e., transfer function) effect on photoacoustic signals is considered by integrating photoacoustic signal values within the absorption area covered by a spatial resolution of the ultrasound transducer. Results from the analytically derived expression show that the magnitude of photoacoustic signals measured by a spherical focused ultrasound transducer shows a maximum at a specific absorption coefficient, and decreases after that maximum point as an absorption coefficient is increased. The origin of this photoacoustic nonlinearity is physically understood by comparing the ultrasound transducer's transfer functions and photoacoustic resonance spectra. In addition, this physical interpretation implies that the photoacoustic nonlinearity is strongly dependent on the irradiance distribution inside an absorption medium.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 2020

Typically, photoacoustic images are obtained in water or gelatin because the impedance of these mediums is similar to that of the human body. However, these acoustic mediums can have an additional mass effect that changes the resonance frequency of the transducer. The acoustic radiation impedance in air is negligible because it is very small compared to that of the transducer. However, the high acoustic impedance of mediums such as the human body and water is quite large compared to that of air, making it difficult to ignore. Specifically, in a case where the equivalent mass is very small, such as with a micro-machined ultrasound transducer, the additional mass effects of the acoustic medium should be considered for an accurate resonance frequency design. In this study, a piezoelectric micro-machined ultrasonic transducer (pMUT) was designed to have a resonance frequency of 10 MHz in the acoustic medium of water, which has similar impedance as the human body. At that time, the resonance frequency of the pMUT in air was calculated at 15.2 MHz. When measuring the center displacement of the manufactured pMUT using a laser vibrometer, the resonance frequencies were measured as 14.3-15.1 MHz, which is consistent with the finite element method (FEM) simulation results. Finally, photoacoustic images of human hair samples were successfully obtained using the fabricated pMUT.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.61 no.4
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• pp.139-142
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• 2017

Ethene ($C_2H_4$), which is produced in plants as they mature, was used to study its photoacoustic properties using photoacoustic spectroscopy. Detection of trace amounts, with $N_2$ gas, of $C_2H_4$ gas was also applied. The gas was tested in various conditions-temperature, concentration of the gas, gas cell length, and power of the laser- to determine their effect on the photoacoustic signal, the ideal conditions to detect trace gas amounts, and concentration of $C_2H_4$ produced by an avocado and a banana. A detection limit of 10 ppm was determined for pure $C_2H_4$. A detection of 5% and 13% (by volume) concentration of $C_2H_4$ was produced for a ripening avocado and banana, respectively, in closed space.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.9
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• pp.2795-2799
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• 2013

Irradiation of gold nanorods (GNRs) with laser light corresponding to the longitudinal surface plasmon oscillation results in rapid conversion of electromagnetic energy into heat, a phenomenon commonly known as the photothermal effect of GNRs. Herein, we propose a facile strategy for increasing the photothermal conversion efficiency of GNRs by integration to form graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposites. Moreover, conjugation of iron oxide (IO) with the GO-GNR nanohybrid allowed magnetic enrichment at a specific target site and the separated GO-IO-GNR assembly was rapidly heated by laser irradiation. The present GO-IO-GNR nanocomposites hold great promise for application in various biomedical fields, including surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy imaging, photoacoustic tomography imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, and photothermal cancer therapy.