2 research outputs found
Bubble formation during the collision of a sessile drop with a meniscus
The impact of a sessile droplet with a moving meniscus, as encountered in
processes such as dip-coating, generically leads to the entrapment of small air
bubbles. Here we experimentally study this process of bubble formation by
looking through the liquid using high-speed imaging. Our central finding is
that the size of the entrapped bubble crucially depends on the location where
coalescence between the drop and the moving meniscus is initiated: (i) at a
finite height above the substrate, or (ii) exactly at the contact line. In the
first case, we typically find bubble sizes of the order of a few microns,
independent of the size and speed of the impacting drop. By contrast, the
bubbles that are formed when coalescence starts at the contact line become
increasingly large, as the size or the velocity of the impacting drop is
increased. We show how these observations can be explained from a balance
between the lubrication pressure in the air layer and the capillary pressure of
the drop
Maximal air bubble entrainment at liquid drop impact
At impact of a liquid drop on a solid surface an air bubble can be entrapped.
Here we show that two competing effects minimize the (relative) size of this
entrained air bubble: For large drop impact velocity and large droplets the
inertia of the liquid flattens the entrained bubble, whereas for small impact
velocity and small droplets capillary forces minimize the entrained bubble.
However, we demonstrate experimentally, theoretically, and numerically that in
between there is an optimum, leading to maximal air bubble entrapment. Our
results have a strong bearing on various applications in printing technology,
microelectronics, immersion lithography, diagnostics, or agriculture.Comment: 4 page