Bubble nucleation and growth anomaly for a hydrophilic microheater attributed to metastable nanobubbles

Phys Rev Lett. 2007 Mar 23;98(12):124501. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.98.124501. Epub 2007 Mar 19.

Abstract

Nanobubbles on a hydrophilic surface immersed in water and ethanol are inferred from the response of the surface to two consecutive heat pulses with a variable separation time. Bubble nucleation occurs at specific positions on the surface during the first heat pulse but at lower nucleation temperatures and random locations on the second. Nanobubbles are hypothesized to form on collapse of the bubble from the first pulse.