A model of ultrasound-enhanced diffusion in a biofilm

A stochastic model is presented for nanoparticle transport in a biofilm to explain how the combination of acoustic oscillations and intermittent retention due to interaction with the pore walls of the biofilm leads to diffusion enhancement. An expression for the effective diffusion coefficient was derived that varies with the square of the oscillation velocity amplitude. This expression was validated by comparison of an analytical diffusion solution to the stochastic model prediction. The stochastic model was applied to an example problem associated with liposome penetration into a hydrogel, and it was found to yield solutions in which liposome concentration varied exponentially with distance into the biofilm. (C) 2016 Acoustical Society of America