Performance analysis of a new biolistic gun using high power laser irradiation

Impingement of a high power laser pulse (above 10⁹ W/cm²) on a metal foil causes ablation, which is characterized by a rapid expulsion of matter and initiation of a strong shock wave inside the solid metal. The shock propagates through the foil and reverberates on the rear side causing instant deformation of the foil, whose surface is treated with micro particles prior to ablation. Based on this principle of micro particle ejection, we develop a new biolistic gun with improved controllability, stability, efficiency of our previous system, and perform characterization of the penetration shapes at varying confinements and energy levels. The confinement media include BK7 glass, water, and succulent jelly (ultrasound gel). Biological tissue was replicated by a gelatin-water solution at a 3% weight ratio. Present data show that confinement effect results in a conspicuous enhancement of penetration reached by 5 μm cobalt micro particles. Also, there exists an optimal thickness at each energy level when using liquid confinement for enhanced particle delivery.