Understanding the stability of surface nanobubbles

J Phys Condens Matter. 2013 May 8;25(18):184007. doi: 10.1088/0953-8984/25/18/184007. Epub 2013 Apr 18.

Abstract

Surface nanobubbles emerging at solid-liquid interfaces show extreme stability. In this paper, the stability of surface nanobubbles in degassed water is discussed and investigated by AFM. The result demonstrates that surface nanobubbles are kinetically stable and the liquid/gas interface is gas impermeable. The force modulation experiment further proves that there is a layer coating on nanobubbles. These critical properties suggest that surface nanobubbles may be stabilized by a layer which has a great diffusive resistance.

MeSH terms

  • Gases / chemistry*
  • Graphite / chemistry*
  • Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
  • Kinetics
  • Microbubbles*
  • Microscopy, Atomic Force
  • Models, Chemical*
  • Molecular Dynamics Simulation
  • Nanoparticles*
  • Surface Properties
  • Water / chemistry*

Substances

  • Gases
  • Water
  • Graphite