Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 9, 2026
06:31
Studying Surfactant Effects on Hydrate Crystallization at Oil-Water Interfaces Using a Low-Cost Integrated Modular Peltier Device
Published on: March 18, 2020
6.8K
Multicomponent Droplet Crystallization: Latent Heat Release and Bubble Formation.
Narendra Ch Kumar1, Virkeshwar Kumar1
1Manufacturing Materials and Thermal Applications Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur 208016, India.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|December 4, 2025
Summary
Bubble formation in evaporating saline droplets is driven by both the heat of salt crystallization and its release rate. This study reveals a generalized mechanism for this nonintuitive phenomenon.
Area of Science:
- Thermodynamics
- Phase Change Phenomena
- Materials Science
Background:
- Bubble formation during droplet evaporation at subboiling temperatures is poorly understood.
- Conventional models do not fully explain this nonintuitive phenomenon.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanisms of bubble formation in evaporating ternary saline droplets.
- To determine the factors governing bubble nucleation and evolution.
Main Methods:
- Systematic investigation of droplets with varying combinations of high- and low-latent heat of solid formation (LHSF) salts.
- Real-time imaging to capture nucleation, crystal growth, and bubble evolution.
- In situ thermocouple measurements for transient thermal fluctuations.
Main Results:
- Bubble formation depends not only on LHSF but also on the rate of latent heat release.
- A 1D energy balance shows bubble formation is governed by latent heat release and crystal growth kinetics.
- Bubble formation occurs in high-LHSF, high-high, and high-low LHSF combinations, and sometimes in low-low LHSF systems with rapid crystallization.
Conclusions:
- Bubble formation in evaporating saline droplets results from the interplay between thermodynamic magnitude (LHSF) and kinetic rate (crystal growth).
- A generalized mechanism for bubble formation in multicomponent systems is proposed.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Crystal Growth: Principles of Crystallization
4.6K
Crystallization is a phase transformation process in which crystals are precipitated from a supersaturated solution or formed from other sources. During crystallization, atoms or molecules arrange themselves into a well-defined, rigid crystal lattice to minimize energy.
Initiating crystallization involves manipulating the concentration of the solute and the temperature of the solution. Since crystal growth occurs when the ratio of concentration and solubility of the solute in the solvent...
Initiating crystallization involves manipulating the concentration of the solute and the temperature of the solution. Since crystal growth occurs when the ratio of concentration and solubility of the solute in the solvent...
4.6K
01:10Recrystallization: Solid–Solution Equilibria
2.0K
Recrystallization is a purification technique used to separate impurities from solid compounds. In this technique, no chemical reactions occur. Instead, it exploits physical properties only, specifically, the solubility differences between the desired compound and impurities, either at a single temperature or at different temperatures, and under other selected conditions. The solid-solution equilibrium (solubility equilibrium) of each component in the solution represents a binary phase...
2.0K
01:12Precipitation Processes
4.6K
The experimental conditions in a gravimetric analysis should be optimized to maximize the particle size and purity of the obtained precipitate. Ideally, the concentration of the precipitating reagent should be low with effective stirring to maintain low relative supersaturation for the growth of large crystals. In homogeneous precipitation, the precipitant is slowly generated by a chemical reaction in the solution to avoid local reagent excesses. For example, urea decomposes gradually to...
4.6K
01:01Distillation: Vapor–Liquid Equilibria
4.3K
Distillation is a separation technique that takes advantage of the boiling point properties of disparate elements in a mixture. To perform distillation, we begin by heating a miscible mixture of two liquids with a significant difference in boiling points (at least 20°C). As the solution heats up and reaches the bubble point of the more volatile component, some molecules of the more volatile component transition into the gas phase and travel upward into the condenser, which is a glass tube...
4.3K
02:39Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation
20.5K
The physical form of a substance changes on changing its temperature. For example, raising the temperature of a liquid causes the liquid to vaporize (convert into vapor). The process is called vaporization—a surface phenomenon. Vaporization occurs when the thermal motion of the molecules overcome the intermolecular forces, and the molecules (at the surface) escape into the gaseous state. When a liquid vaporizes in a closed container, gas molecules cannot escape. As these gas phase molecules...
20.5K
01:09Colloidal precipitates
4.7K
The high insolubility of some precipitates can result in an unfavorable relative supersaturation. This can lead to colloidal particles with a large surface-to-mass ratio, where adsorption is promoted. For instance, in the precipitation of silver chloride, silver ions are adsorbed on the surface of the colloidal particles, forming a primary layer. This layer attracts ions of opposite charge (such as nitrate ions), forming a diffuse secondary layer of adsorbed ions. This electric double layer...
4.7K