Growth of bubbles on a solid surface in response to a pressure reduction

Area of Science:

• Physical Chemistry
• Surface Science
• Fluid Dynamics

Background:

• Bubble nucleation and growth are critical phenomena in various scientific and industrial processes.
• Understanding bubble dynamics on solid surfaces requires detailed observation of their evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the diffusion-controlled growth of bubbles on a smooth hydrophobic surface.
• To characterize the relationship between bubble radius and contact angle during growth.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a diffusion-controlled method to study bubble nucleation and growth.
• Observed spontaneous bubble nucleation upon sudden pressure reduction.
• Monitored bubble evolution, including contact line expansion and contact angle variation.

Main Results:

• Bubbles exhibited initial growth with a constant radius and decreasing contact angle.
• Subsequent growth occurred at a constant contact angle with an increasing radius.
• Observed a total contact angle variation of approximately 60° for bubbles (10-100 μm radius).

Conclusions:

• The study successfully described bubble growth using diffusion theory.
• The growth constant validated the proposed diffusion-controlled model.
• The findings provide insights into bubble dynamics on hydrophobic surfaces.