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Main Authors: Lan, Lili, Pan, Yongcai, Zhao, Liang, Wen, Binghai
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.02916
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author Lan, Lili
Pan, Yongcai
Zhao, Liang
Wen, Binghai
author_facet Lan, Lili
Pan, Yongcai
Zhao, Liang
Wen, Binghai
contents Surface nanobubbles are complex micro- and nanoscale fluid systems. While thermodynamics is believed to dominate nanobubble dynamics, the precise mechanism by which nanobubble evolution is driven by thermodynamics remains unclear. It is essential to understand how nanobubble nucleation and growth, nanoscale contact line movement, and gas diffusion across the liquid-bubble interface are simultaneously driven by the change in free energy, leading to the ultimate thermodynamic equilibrium of surface nanobubble systems. In this paper, we first propose a quantitative theoretical model to elucidate the thermodynamic dominance behind the dynamics and stability of the fluid system with surface nanobubbles. The present model demonstrates that thermodynamic non-equilibrium drives the gas diffusion and the contact line motion of surface nanobubbles. Overcoming the nucleation energy barrier is crucial for bubble nucleation and growth. Surface nanobubbles evolve towards the reduction of the system's free energy and stabilize at the state with minimum free energy. The thermodynamic equilibrium is accompanied by the mechanical equilibrium at the contact line and the gas diffusion equilibrium at the liquid-bubble interface, and the theoretical results are in excellent agreement with the nanobubble morphology observed in experiments. The study highlights the significant influence of gas properties and ambient conditions in promoting bubble nucleation and stability.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_02916
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Quantitative thermodynamic analyses of nucleation, evolution and stabilization of surface nanobubbles
Lan, Lili
Pan, Yongcai
Zhao, Liang
Wen, Binghai
Soft Condensed Matter
Computational Physics
Fluid Dynamics
Surface nanobubbles are complex micro- and nanoscale fluid systems. While thermodynamics is believed to dominate nanobubble dynamics, the precise mechanism by which nanobubble evolution is driven by thermodynamics remains unclear. It is essential to understand how nanobubble nucleation and growth, nanoscale contact line movement, and gas diffusion across the liquid-bubble interface are simultaneously driven by the change in free energy, leading to the ultimate thermodynamic equilibrium of surface nanobubble systems. In this paper, we first propose a quantitative theoretical model to elucidate the thermodynamic dominance behind the dynamics and stability of the fluid system with surface nanobubbles. The present model demonstrates that thermodynamic non-equilibrium drives the gas diffusion and the contact line motion of surface nanobubbles. Overcoming the nucleation energy barrier is crucial for bubble nucleation and growth. Surface nanobubbles evolve towards the reduction of the system's free energy and stabilize at the state with minimum free energy. The thermodynamic equilibrium is accompanied by the mechanical equilibrium at the contact line and the gas diffusion equilibrium at the liquid-bubble interface, and the theoretical results are in excellent agreement with the nanobubble morphology observed in experiments. The study highlights the significant influence of gas properties and ambient conditions in promoting bubble nucleation and stability.
title Quantitative thermodynamic analyses of nucleation, evolution and stabilization of surface nanobubbles
topic Soft Condensed Matter
Computational Physics
Fluid Dynamics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.02916