Monodispersed Bubble Generation Using Hydrophobic Orifices: The Extended Tate's Law.

Abstract

The use of submerged orifices for bubble generation is ubiquitous in industries with wettability known to influence the bubble departure diameter. In this study, we investigated bubble generation and departure from the orifices (0.3-2 mm) drilled on hydrophobic perfluoroalkoxy (PFA) tubes in water. By varying the gas inflow rate (33 to 200 mL/min), we found that the Sauter mean diameter closely matched those generated by hydrophilic quartz orifices. However, monodispersed bubbles were formed on the PFA tube compared to those on quartz with much wider size distributions. By examining the dynamic bubbling process, we confirmed its agreement with Tate's law, which was originally developed for quasi-steady conditions and emphasizes a balance between capillary and buoyancy forces. However, it should be noted that dynamic conditions lead to an increase in bubble volume compared to the quasi-steady condition despite following the same principle, which is explained by the continuous gas inflow when the bubble departs from the orifice at a necking stage. The above understandings enable generation of monodispersed bubbles under dynamic conditions, benefiting industries requiring precise control on bubble size, such as the bubble assisted wet etching and cleaning processes in semiconductor fabrication.