Design and development of a bubble chamber technique for the study of electric-field induced nucleation in liquids

Abstract

A description is given of a method for the study of electric-field induced nucleation (phase transition) in liquids. The device used is a miniature bubble chamber in which intense electric stress is applied to the liquid by means of a sharp edge of thin ( approximately 10-5 cm), transparent and highly conducting film of tin oxide. A capacitor manometer has been used for the dynamic pressure measurements. The change in scattered light intensity from the liquid at 90 degrees to the incident light is utilized as an indication of the nucleation. The instantaneous pressure, scattered light intensity and the instant of the application of the electric field are registered simultaneously on the oscilloscope. Typical sets of results are shown at different temperatures and pressures for three organic liquids namely n-hexane, n-pentane and iso-pentane. The extrapolation of these results to the zero value of external electric field gives the limit of thermodynamic stability of the liquids. The results thus obtained are compared with those obtained from kinetic and Furth's theories of liquids.