Acoustic characteristics of PVA gel

Polyvinyl (PVA) alcohol gel is a rubbery material with a high water content, an extremely low acoustic attenuation, and an acoustic impedance close to that of the human body. These characteristics make PVA gel a good candidate as an acoustic coupler between the body and probe during ultrasonic diagnosis. Nonlinearity in acoustic-pressure propagation between pressure input and output was measured for PVA gel. Measurements of the acoustic characteristics of PVA gel show that PVA gel has nonlinearity similar to that of water. It also has extremely low attenuation and good impedance matching to the body.< >