Development of ozone gel using ultrasonically generated microbubbles

Abstract

Ozone gel, which has strong oxidizing and disinfecting power, has attracted attention as a disinfection medium and a medical application for skin diseases. In this study, we attempted to develop a new fabrication method by blowing microbubbles directly into high-viscosity glycerin. Ozone gel is generally produced by dissolving high-concentration ozone gas in glycerin under high pressure, however the time-consuming and costly process using large-scale equipment prevents efficient production. In this study, we developed a novel ozone gel fabrication method by just blowing ozone microbubbles in highly viscous glycerin using a microbubble generation technique that uses powerful ultrasonic oscillation. Furthermore, by observing bubble generation behavior using a high-speed camera, it was confirmed that many microbubbles of the same size as those in water were generated in glycerin. Dissolved ozone concentration measurements and oxidizing power tests using indigo-carmine also revealed that the samples stably maintained a dissolved ozone concentration and oxidizing power sufficient for disinfection.