The role of microparticles on the shape and surface tension of static bubbles

Abstract

Hypothesis: Surface tension is a critical parameter in bubbles and foams, yet it is difficult to assess when microparticles are attached at the interface. By considering the interaction force between an air-liquid interface and microparticles, modified equations for sessile bubble tensiometry can be derived to determine the surface tension and shape of static microparticle-laden bubbles.

Experiments: A modified sessile bubble method, in which the forces between microparticles and the air-liquid interface are considered, was developed and used to analyse the surface tension of bubbles fully coated by a monolayer of silica microparticles of different sizes. The results are compared to those obtained using classical sessile bubble tensiometry. The new method is also used to investigate the contours of particle-laden bubbles of varying particle radius and contact angle.

Findings: While the classical sessile bubble method overestimates the surface tension, results obtained using the modified sessile bubble method show that the surface tension of static microparticle-laden bubbles remains the same as that of uncoated bubbles, with no dependency on the particle size. The discrepancy is due to the fact that microparticles attached to the air-liquid interface deform a bubble in a similar way that changes in surface tension do for uncoated bubbles.

Keywords: Bubble shape; Particle-bubble interaction force; Particle-laden bubble; Sessile bubble method; Surface tension.