Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 9, 2025

Induction of Microstreaming by Nonspherical Bubble Oscillations in an Acoustic Levitation System
Published on: May 9, 2021
Self-Propelled Detachment upon Coalescence of Surface Bubbles
Pengyu Lv1,2, Pablo Peñas2, Hai Le The2,3
1State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, Beijing Innovation Center for Engineering Science and Advanced Technology, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
The removal of microbubbles from substrates is crucial for the efficiency of many catalytic and electrochemical gas evolution reactions in liquids. The current work investigates the coalescence and detachment of bubbles generated from catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. Self-propelled detachment, induced by the coalescence of two bubbles, is observed at sizes much smaller than those determined by buoyancy. Upon coalescence, the released surface energy is partly dissipated by the bubble oscillations, working against viscous drag. The remaining energy is converted to the kinetic energy of the out-of-plane jumping motion of the merged bubble. The critical ratio of the parent bubble sizes for the jumping to occur is theoretically derived from an energy balance argument and found to be in agreement with the experimental results. The present results provide both physical insight for the bubble interactions and practical strategies for applications in chemical engineering and renewable energy technologies like electrolysis.
More Related Videos
11:14A Microfluidic System with Surface Patterning for Investigating Cavitation Bubble(s)–Cell Interaction and the Resultant Bioeffects at the Single-cell Level
Published on: January 10, 2017
08:49Impacts of Free-falling Spheres on a Deep Liquid Pool with Altered Fluid and Impactor Surface Conditions
Published on: February 17, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Surface Tension of Fluid
Surface tension varies...
Cohesion
On a...
Excess Pressure Inside a Drop and a Bubble
Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity
The various IMFs between identical molecules of a substance are examples of cohesive forces. The molecules within a liquid are surrounded by other molecules and are attracted equally in all directions by the cohesive forces within the liquid. However, the molecules on the surface of a liquid are attracted only by about one-half as many molecules. Because of the unbalanced molecular attractions on the surface molecules, liquids contract to form a shape that minimizes the number...
Cell Motility through Blebbing
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
Surface Appendages of Archaea