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Microtensiometer for Confocal Microscopy Visualization of Dynamic Interfaces

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Statics and dynamics of adhesion between two soap bubbles.

S Besson¹, G Debrégeas

¹Laboratoire de Physique Statistique, CNRS UMR 8550, 24, rue Lhomond, 75231, Paris Cedex 05, France. sebastien.besson@lps.ens.fr

The European Physical Journal. E, Soft Matter

|October 24, 2007

Summary

This study investigates soap bubble adhesion, revealing a contact angle deviation from the standard 120 degrees due to finite Plateau borders. Dynamic measurements show a transition from viscous to elastic behavior with increasing frequency.

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Area of Science:

Fluid dynamics
Surface science
Soft matter physics

Background:

The Plateau rule predicts a 120-degree contact angle for three fluid films meeting at a vertex.
Deviations from this angle are observed in real systems due to factors like finite liquid volumes.

Purpose of the Study:

To experimentally investigate the adhesive properties of contacting soap bubbles.
To quantify the deviation from the standard contact angle and explore dynamic viscoelastic behavior.
To relate bubble adhesion to the rheology of foams.

Main Methods:

Utilizing a custom setup to bring two hemispherical soap bubbles into contact.
Employing image analysis to extract contact angles from bubble profiles.
Sinusoidally modulating bubble support distance to study dynamic adhesion and viscoelastic response.

Main Results:

Observed static contact angles slightly exceeding 120 degrees, explained by finite Plateau border effects.
Dynamic contact angle deviation linearly increased with relative modulation of the central film radius.
Identified a transition from viscous to elastic response with a crossover pulsation around 1 rad/s.

Conclusions:

The finite size of Plateau borders quantitatively explains static contact angle deviations in soap bubbles.
The study provides a model for dynamic adhesion in bubble systems, linking it to viscoelastic properties.
Results offer insights into the rheology of foams through the lens of bubble adhesion dynamics.