Clarification of regimes determining sonochemical reactions in solid particle suspensions

Although there has been extensive research on the factors that influence sonochemical reactions in solid particle suspensions, the role that solid particles play in the process remains unclear. Herein, the effect of monodisperse silica particles (10–100 μm, 0.05–10 vol%) on the sonochemical activity (20 kHz) was investigated using triiodide formation monitoring and luminol tests. The results demonstrate that, in the particle size range considered, the sonochemical yields were enhanced in dilute suspensions (0.05–1 vol%), while further particle addition in semi-dilute suspensions (1–10 vol%) decreased the yields. Two regimes, namely the site-increasing regime and sound-damping regime, are identified in respect of the enhancing and inhibiting effects of the particles, respectively, and their dependence on particle characteristics is analyzed. Both regimes are confirmed based on the cavitation erosion test results or cavitation noise analysis. The clarification of the two regimes provides a better understanding of the dominant factors controlling sonochemistry in the presence of solid particles, as well as a guide for sonochemical efficiency prediction.