Ballistic heat transport in laser generated nano-bubbles

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Nanobubbles generated by laser-heated plasmonic nanoparticles have potential applications in biomedicine and energy harvesting.
• Understanding the factors controlling nanobubble size is critical for their effective utilization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the physical processes governing the maximal size of laser-induced nanobubbles.
• To establish a relationship between nanobubble dynamics and laser parameters.

Main Methods:

• Hydrodynamic phase field simulations were employed to model nanobubble dynamics.
• Simulations incorporated ballistic thermal flux within the nanobubbles.

Main Results:

• The maximal size and lifetime of nanobubbles are significantly influenced by the internal ballistic thermal flux.
• The simulation results accurately reproduce experimentally observed fluence dependencies of nanobubble radius.
• Laser pulse duration affects both the number and maximal size of generated nanobubbles.

Conclusions:

• Ballistic thermal flux is a key determinant of laser-induced nanobubble size.
• These findings are vital for optimizing nanobubble generation for applications like photothermal cancer therapy.