Effects of interface deformation on flow through microtubes containing superhydrophobic surfaces with longitudinal ribs and grooves

10.1007/s10404-013-1201-1Microfluidics and Nanofluidics161-2225-23

Growth of bubbles on a solid surface in response to a pressure reduction

A diffusion-controlled method is presented to study the growth of bubbles on a solid surface. The bubbles are nucleated spontaneously on a hydrophobic smooth surface in response to a sudden pressure reduction and then grow with an expanding contact line. The evolution of the bubbles in the early stage is found to grow with a constant bubble radius and a decreasing contact angle, while the bubbles continue their growth with a constant contact angle and an increasing bubble radius after the contact angle reaches its equilibrium value. A total variation of about 60° of the contact angle is observed during the growth of the bubbles with the size scale of 10–100 µm in radius. The growing process is described by the diffusion theory with the validation of the growth constant