Abstract
An overview is presented on how surface-active solutes, e.g., aliphatic alcohols, surfactants, and polymers, affect acoustic cavitation bubbles in a multibubble system. The discussion explains how trace amounts of alcohols quench sonoluminescence (SL) in aqueous solutions, whereas charged surfactants enhance SL under certain concentration conditions. Polymers, such as polyethylene oxide, affect the SL intensity from aqueous solutions by influencing the formation of the spatial structures of multibubble cavitation "clouds". The influence of surface-active solutes on the ultrasound production of nanoparticles, such as, Au, is described. Finally, it is shown how pyrolysis products from the thermal decomposition of alcohols in sonicated aqueous solutions can be used to calculate a mean cavitation bubble temperature.
