Detachment of deposited colloids by advancing and receding air-water interfaces

Moving air-water interfaces can detach colloidal particles from stationary surfaces. The objective of this study was to quantify the effects of advancing and receding air-water interfaces on colloid detachment as a function of interface velocity. We deposited fluorescent, negatively charged, carboxylate-modified polystyrene colloids (diameter of 1 μm) into a cylindrical glass channel. The colloids were hydrophilic with an advancing air-water contact angle of 60° and a receding contact angle of 40°. After colloid deposition, two air bubbles were sequentially introduced into the glass channel and passed through the channel at different velocities (0.5, 7.7, 72, 982, and 10,800 cm/h). The passage of the bubbles represented a sequence of receding and advancing air-water interfaces. Colloids remaining in the glass channel after each interface passage were visualized with confocal microscopy and quantified by image analysis. The advancing air-water interface was significantly more effective in detaching colloids from the glass surface than the receding interface. Most of the colloids were detached during the first passage of the advancing air-water interface, while the subsequent interface passages did not remove significant amounts of colloids. Forces acting on the colloids calculated from theory corroborate our experimental results, and confirm that the detachment forces (surface tension forces) during the advancing air-water interface movement were stronger than during the receding movement. Theory indicates that, for hydrophilic colloids, the advancing interface movement generally exerts a stronger detachment force than the receding, except when the hysteresis of the colloid-air-water contact angle is small and that of the channel-air-water contact angle is large.