Chaotic oscillations of gas bubbles under dual-frequency acoustic excitation

•Chaotic oscillation of bubbles in liquids is theoretically analyzed.•Dual-frequency approach is proved to be effective for chaos control.•Two routes to chaos in dual-frequency approach are identified.•Influential parameters on chaos control are shown. Chaotic oscillation of bubbles in liquids reduces the efficiency of the sonochemical system and should be suppressed in the practical applications. In the present paper, a chaos control method based on the dual-frequency approach is numerically investigated and is proved to be an effective method even for cases with intensive energy input. It was found that the chaos could be successfully suppressed by the application of dual-frequency approach in a wide range of parameter zone (even with high acoustic pressure amplitude). Furthermore, influences of power allocation between two waves on the chaos control are quantitatively discussed with clear descriptions of the routes from stable oscillations to chaos.