Mechanism Of Bubble Formation Research Articles

Air trap and removal on a pressure driven PDMS-based microfluidic device.

With the development of microfluidic technology, microfluidic chips have played a positive role in applications such as cell culture, microfluidic PCR, and nanopore gene sequencing. However, the presence of bubbles interferes with fluid flow and has a significant impact on experimental results. There are many reasons for the generation of bubbles in microfluidic chips, such as pressure changes inside the chip, air vibration inside the chip, and the open chip guiding air into the chip when driving fluid. This study designed and prepared a microfluidic device based on polydimethylsiloxane. First, air was actively introduced into the microfluidic chip, and bubbles were captured through the microfluidic device to simulate the presence of bubbles inside the chip in biological experiments. To remove bubbles trapped in the microfluidic chip, distilled water, distilled water containing surfactants, and mineral oil were pumped into the microfluidic chip. We compared and discussed the bubble removal efficiency under different driving fluids, driving pressures, and open/closed channel configurations. This study helps to understand the mechanism of bubble formation and removal in microfluidic devices, optimize chip structure design and experimental reagent selection, prevent or eliminate bubbles, and reduce the impact of bubbles on experiments.

A closer look at high-energy X-ray-induced bubble formation during soft tissue imaging.

Improving the scalability of tissue imaging throughput with bright, coherent X-rays requires identifying and mitigating artifacts resulting from the interactions between X-rays and matter. At synchrotron sources, long-term imaging of soft tissues in solution can result in gas bubble formation or cavitation, which dramatically compromises image quality and integrity of the samples. By combining in-line phase-contrast imaging with gas chromatography in real time, we were able to track the onset and evolution of high-energy X-ray-induced gas bubbles in ethanol-embedded soft tissue samples for tens of minutes (two to three times the typical scan times). We demonstrate quantitatively that vacuum degassing of the sample during preparation can significantly delay bubble formation, offering up to a twofold improvement in dose tolerance, depending on the tissue type. However, once nucleated, bubble growth is faster in degassed than undegassed samples, indicating their distinct metastable states at bubble onset. Gas chromatography analysis shows increased solvent vaporization concurrent with bubble formation, yet the quantities of dissolved gasses remain unchanged. By coupling features extracted from the radiographs with computational analysis of bubble characteristics, we uncover dose-controlled kinetics and nucleation site-specific growth. These hallmark signatures provide quantitative constraints on the driving mechanisms of bubble formation and growth. Overall, the observations highlight bubble formation as a critical yet often overlooked hurdle in upscaling X-ray imaging for biological tissues and soft materials and we offer an empirical foundation for their understanding and imaging protocol optimization. More importantly, our approaches establish a top-down scheme to decipher the complex, multiscale radiation-matter interactions in these applications.

The behaviors of He atoms at Ti3SiC2(001)/V(110) interface: A first-principles study

Ti3SiC2 nano-particles and He atom play an important role for the degradation of properties in vanadium alloys under irradiation environment. Herein, the behaviors of He atoms at C-Ti2-H Ti3SiC2(001)/V(110) interface model by first-principles calculations, which is the most thermodynamically stable, is studied to elucidate the effect of Ti3SiC2 nano-particles on the He bubble formation in the vanadium alloys. He atom tends to dissolve at the Ti3SiC2/V interface and at the near Si layer of Ti3SiC2 side at the interface. The vacancy type defects formation energies for V1, C1, C2 and Si, which both lower than V monovacancy formation energy in bulk vanadium, are more likely to form at the interface. Moreover, The existence of monovacancy at the interface makes it easier for neighboring He atoms to dissolve, which has a spatial effect on He atom. The result of the trapping energy and the interface distortion of He atom trapped by Si and V1 vacancies, more He atoms can be trapped as the number of vacancies increases. The diffusion of He atom located at Ti3SiC2 side towards the interface hampered by the small spacing Ti and C atom layers (dlsTi2−C2= 1.18 Å) anddlsTi1−C1 = 1.31 Å) He atom tends to aggerate at the interface due to the higher energy barrier. The Ti3SiC2-praticle/V-matrix interface can act as a sink for He atom. These findings provide a new insight into the understanding about the influence of Ti3SiC2 nano-particles on the mechanisms of He bubble formation and the guidance for further the preparation of vanadium alloys.

Characteristics of evolution and collapse in spark-induced cavitation bubbles

Numerous scientists have thoroughly researched cavitation bubble dynamics using experimental methods such as tube arrest, underwater discharge, ultrasound, and laser focusing. In this study, with the aid of high-speed photography, the formation mechanism of the electrode-contact spark-induced cavitation bubble is discovered, i.e., electrolysis results in non-condensable gases wrapping the small inter-electrode gaps, and the non-condensable gases are broken down by discharge to form plasma, which then induces the cavitation bubble. Since the cavitation bubbles already contain a certain amount of non-condensable gases during the discharge process, the differences in the spatiotemporal evolution and collapse characteristics of the cavitation bubbles with varying amounts of non-condensable gases are further analyzed. The results show that underwater electrode-contact discharge system has an optimal voltage if the capacitance and discharge electrode size remain constant, and the cavitation bubbles generated under the optimal voltage condition are not only morphologically closest to the laser-induced cavitation bubbles, but also the change in radius over time during collapse is quite consistent with the Rayleigh bubble. Furthermore, compared to cavitation bubbles generated under varying voltages, those induced by the optimal voltage have a lower amount of non-condensable gases. This leads to the minimum first contraction radius and the maximum rebound radius being close to the corresponding values of the laser-induced cavitation bubbles. These new findings are of great significance for the improvement of experimental technology in the study of cavitation bubble dynamics, obtaining precise and dependable experimental data, and validating numerical simulations.

Ultra-stable nano-micro bubbles in a biocompatible medium for safe delivery of anti-cancer drugs

We conducted a series of experimental investigations to generate laser-stimulated millimeter bubbles (MBs) around silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and thoroughly examined the mechanism of bubble formation within this nanocomposite system. One crucial aspect we explored was the lifetime and kinetics of these bubbles, given that bubbles generated by plasmonic nanoparticles are known to be transient with short durations. Surprisingly, our findings revealed that the achieved lifetime of these MBs extended beyond seven days. This impressive longevity far surpasses what has been reported in the existing literature. Further analysis of the experimental data uncovered a significant correlation between bubble volume and its lifetime. Smaller bubbles demonstrated longer lifetimes compared to larger ones, which provided valuable insights for future applications. The experimental results not only confirmed the validity of our model and simulations but also highlighted essential characteristics, including extended lifetime, matching absorption coefficients, adherence to physical boundary conditions, and agreement with simulated system parameters. Notably, we generated these MBs around functionalized AgNPs in a biocompatible nanocomposite medium by utilizing low-power light excitation. By readily binding potent cancer drugs to AgNPs through simple physical mixing, these medications can be securely encapsulated within bubbles and precisely guided to targeted locations within the human body. This capability to deliver drugs directly to the tumor site, while minimizing contact with healthy tissues, can lead to improved treatment outcomes and reduced side effects, significantly enhancing the quality of life for cancer patients.

The study on the effect of restrictive rosewood trade policies on China’s rosewood import prices

PurposeRosewood, as the most internationally traded endangered species, is subject to a series of restrictive trade policies globally. China has historically been the largest importer of rosewood in the world. The fluctuation of China’s rosewood import prices will have a profound impact on the global rosewood trade pattern. This study, therefore, assessed the impact of restrictive trade policies on China’s rosewood import prices to explore the fluctuation rule of rosewood trade prices under restrictive policies.Design/methodology/approachThe study built a partial equilibrium framework about the formation mechanism of rosewood import price bubbles under supply constraints. On this basis, with China’s daily import prices of major rosewood species, the generalized supremum augmented Dickey–Fuller (GSADF) and backward supremum augmented Dickey–Fuller (BSADF) tests were applied to explore the effect of restrictive trade policies on China’s rosewood import prices.FindingsThe empirical analysis revealed that there were multiple price bubbles for five of the seven rosewood species. The largest bubbles were always created before and after the deployment of supply constraints. The empirical results for the counterfactual examples implied that price bubbles would not have occurred if restrictive rosewood trade policies had not been implemented. The above findings indicated that these measures tended to trigger significant price bubbles in China’s rosewood imports.Originality/valueThe effect of restrictive rosewood trade policies on rosewood trade prices had not yet been explored in previous research studies. This study empirically analyzed the effect of restrictive trade policies on China’s rosewood import prices using econometric models.

Numerical investigation of impinging plume under vacuum and realistic nozzle outlet condition

During a lunar module landing, the gas extended from the engine nozzle impinges on the lunar surface. A recirculation bubble could form beneath the surface shock wave, which alters the flow pattern close to the surface, thus affecting the surface soil transportation process. This study conducted numerical simulations to investigate the flow characteristics, formation mechanism, and effects of this recirculation bubble on surface soil erosion using direct simulation Monte Carlo method or solving the Navier–Stokes equations. It is found that during the descent, the recirculation zone under the surface shock wave first disappears and then reappears. The shock wave systems in the plume at different lander heights is analyzed, revealing that the formation of the recirculation bubble can be attributed to the total pressure loss due to gas crossing different wave structures. When the lander descends to a close proximity to the lunar surface, the recirculation bubble can even expand into the nozzle. Furthermore, this study investigated the effects of the recirculation bubble on lunar soil transportation by a gas–solid two-phase solver. It is shown that the recirculation bubble at low landing altitude will entrain the lunar dusts and result in a high ejection angle of the latter, thus aggravating the obstruction of surface observation for the safe landing.

Experiments and CFD modelling of bubble formation at a lateral hole in a top-submerged nozzle

Top-submerged nozzles with lateral holes find applications as passive mixing devices in radiochemical/hazardous industries. We report the mechanism of bubble formation and detachment at a lateral hole in such a nozzle for the first time. Three distinct phases – a growth phase, an elongation phase and finally a rise/detachment phase – could be observed during bubble formation. Effect of gas flow rate, diameter of lateral hole (1, 2 and 3 mm) and physical properties of liquid-liquid system on bubble detachment time and bubble equivalent diameter are reported. Three different liquid-liquid systems (DM water, 2 N and 4 N nitric acid) have been considered. Bubble diameter first reduced, reached a minimum and then started to increase in an oscillatory manner with increase in air flow rate. Before the onset of oscillatory behaviour an increase in hole diameter was seen to reduce bubble diameter. Such a behaviour is typical to bubble formation at lateral hole and is not seen for top-submerged nozzles with central opening. A detailed analysis of the results was carried out and it was observed that inertial forces played a major role. The work also reports a fundamental criterion which must be achieved for onset of oscillations in bubble diameter with flow rate. We also report a 2D CFD model that can simulate bubble formation dynamics at a lateral hole. The model was validated qualitatively as well as quantitatively against the experimental data.

Mechanism of droplet ejection from liquid gallium interacting with inductively coupled hydrogen plasma

In this study, we observed droplet ejection from liquid gallium interacting with an inductively coupled hydrogen plasma. We observed the formation of a bubble in the liquid gallium, and the droplet ejection was synchronized with the burst of the bubble. We examined droplet ejection frequency by varying the ion flux –7.1) × 1014 cms, the ion energy (15–215 eV), and the liquid gallium temperature (370 K–500 K). As a result, we found that the droplet ejection frequency increased with the ion flux and the liquid gallium temperature, whereas it decreased with the ion energy. We observed that the inside of the bubble in the liquid gallium was occupied by hydrogen. Furthermore, the amount of hydrogen dissolved in the liquid gallium was dependent on the discharge conditions. On the basis of the experimental results, we have proposed a mechanism for bubble formation and droplet ejection. The key in the mechanism is the supersaturated dissolution of hydrogen due to the ion irradiation.

Investigating the Mechanism of Intravascular Bubble Formation in Designed Arrays of Vascularized Systems on a Chip.

Vascular gas embolism is a rare medical condition, resulting from the existence of air or gas in the venous or arterial system. Gas embolism is associated with a wide range of circulatory, cardiovascular, and neurological complications that can lead to sudden and unexplained death. Despite the recent increase in related studies, gas embolism remains under-reported with a poor understanding of its genesis and pathophysiology. In this work, intravascular bubble formation is investigated in an array of biomimetic microscale systems, where the endogenous generation of gas bubbles is induced by variations in the surrounding pressure. Microfluidic devices, based on polydimethylsiloxane, are designed and fabricated as vascularized systems on a chip with one main channel at two different diameters (30 µm, and 40 µm), surrounded by a pressure chamber (200 µm) on each side, at a separation of 50 µm. Two blood-equivalent solutions, at 20% and 46% hematocrit concentrations were prepared from a glycerin and xanthan gum mixture to mimic the physicochemical characteristics of the blood. As the volume of injected air increased, the events related to gas embolism were occurring at shorter timespans with more significant characteristics, i.e., length and number of bubbles. Additionally, correlations were established between the input parameters, i.e., the vascular diameter and equivalent hematocrit concentration, and the output parameters, i.e., the bubble size, velocity, frequency, and nucleation sites.Clinical Relevance- The reported results constitute a reproducible observation and quantification of intravascular bubble formation induced by global pressure variations, where the emergence of bubbles exhibits different patterns depending on biological characteristics related to gender and medical history.

Initial temperature of bubble formation at Oil-Paper interface based on bubble dynamics

The initiation of bubbles at the surface of insulating paper under high temperature may result in partial discharge and ultimately lead to the insulation failure of oil-immersed transformers. To study the formation mechanism of bubbles, the process of bubble growth at the oil-paper interface is established by using Rayleigh-Plesset equation. The Ideal Gas Law as well as the Hertz-Knudsen relation is used to quantify the flux of water vapor entering the bubble. The growth curve of bubbles in the oil-paper during temperature rise is calculated. And the Initial Temperature of Bubble Escape (ITBE) is then obtained based on the force analysis of the bubble growth. The results show that the bubble detaches from the surface of paper when its radius reach 198 μm, which is consistent with experimental observations. And the minimum average relative error between the predicted ITBE and experimental results is 1.11%. The effect of influence factors on the ITBE of oil/paper are then studied in detail. It is shown that the increased moisture content in paper accelerates the growth rate of bubbles, then reduces the ITBE. And the higher pressure inside oil tank restrains the bubble growth through the overall process. Additionally, as the cavity size of paper increase, the surface tension of bubble increases. Consequently, the bubbles require a larger size to achieve sufficient buoyancy for their escape from the aged paper.

The Use of Digital Image Processing Method to Estimate the Foam Characteristics of Polyurethane

AbstractFour air‐bubbled polyurethane (PU) foams with different polyol:PMDI wt.% are produced, respectively. The chemical reaction mechanisms of polyurethane and bubble formation are proposed by performing standard Gibbs free energy calculations using the DFT M06‐2X/6‐31+G(d,p) method. The local minima, transition states, and intermediates in reaction mechanisms are detected. It is concluded that both reactions are exothermic. Then, raw images of the produced PU foams are taken with a 13 MP mobile phone camera, which can be considered inexpensive, and the mean radii of the pores are calculated by an image processing based method (IPBM) on a standard desktop computer with an i5 processor. It is determined that there is a close relationship between the calculated mean radius and instrumentally measured thermal conductivity coefficient of the foams. However, the thermal conductivity coefficients are independent of the calculated number and percentage of the pores. The mean radii of the samples calculated by the proposed IPBM are close to that of the SEM, with acceptable relative errors of less than 10%. Finally, it is concluded that IPBM, which is a more cost‐effective, cleaner, and faster method than SEM, might replace SEM in the air bubble analysis of PU foams.

Insights into the bubble formation dynamics in converging shape microchannels using CLSVOF method

Abstract Bubble formation in a square microchannel having a converging shape merging junction has been studied using the Coupled Level-Set and Volume-of-Fluid (CLSVOF) method. The influence of variations in merging junction angles, fluid properties, and operating conditions on the bubble length and pressure drop has been analyzed. The results show a direct relationship between surface tension, gas-liquid flow ratio, and the inverse relation of continuous phase viscosity with the bubble length. Moreover, opposite variations of these parameters are observed for pressure drop. This work reveals a discerning influence of the angle variations of merging junction on the interplay between inertial, viscous, and surface tension forces in the bubble formation mechanism. We envisage that this numerical work will be of significant interest for the process intensification in various industries that deal with gas-liquid microfluidic systems.

Experimental study on sub-regimes of air-water slug flow in a rectangular micro-channel

In mini/micro-channel two-phase flow, slug flow occurs easily because of the significant influence of surface tension and the low gravitational effect on the flow. Although an irregularity of slug flow has been reported, previous studies on mini/micro-channel slug flow have mainly concerned the slug flow with the alternate of film and liquid slug zones regularly. Therefore, the present study investigates sub-regimes of micro-channel slug flow with regular or irregular alternating film and liquid slug zones to understand their principal characteristics. Experiments are performed to visualize and simultaneously measure the transient local pressure of the air-water mixture flow in a horizontal rectangular channel with a 2 mm height and 1 mm width. Superficial Reynolds numbers for liquid and gas phases range from 56 to 1116 and 5.75 to 245, respectively. With the aid of visualization data, slug flow is categorized into two types of stable slug flow and four types of unstable slug flow. Present slug flow data is compared with previous correlations for predicting the regime of bubble formation mechanism, flow regime boundaries, and frictional pressure gradient. Measured temporal pressure records are analyzed using a fast Fourier transform and digital Butterworth filter, while a dominant frequency is identified from the normalized average power spectrum. Then, the local pressure fluctuation at the dominant frequency is examined for different types of slug flow using the visualization results. A morphological repetition is confirmed to be associated with the pressure fluctuation: the repeated film and liquid slug zones in both types of stable slug flow, the alternative between liquid-only flow and a group of gas bubbles and liquid slugs in type 3 unstable slug flow, and the periodic variation of bubble length in type 4 unstable slug flow. However, no correlation between morphological characteristics and pressure fluctuation is found in type 1 and 2 unstable slug flows.

Effects of channel wall wettability on gas–liquid dynamics mass transfer under Taylor flow in a serpentine microchannel

The wall wettability of microchannels plays an important role in the gas–liquid mass transfer dynamics under Taylor flow. In this study, we regulated the contact angle of the wall surface through surface chemical grafting polymerization under controlled experimental conditions. The dynamic changes of CO2 bubbles flowing along the microchannel were captured by a high-speed video camera mounted on a stereo microscope, whilst a unit cell model was employed to theoretically investigate the gas–liquid mass transfer dynamics. We quantitatively characterized the effects of wall wettability, specifically the contact angle, on the formation mechanism of gas bubbles and mass transfer process experimentally. The results revealed that the gas bubble velocity, the overall volumetric liquid phase mass transfer coefficients (kLa), and the specific interfacial area (a) all increased with the increase of the contact angle. Conversely, gas bubble length and leakage flow decreased. Furthermore, we proposed a new modified model to predict the gas–liquid two-phase mass transfer performance, based on van Baten's and Yao's models. Our proposed model was observed to agree reasonably well with experimental observations.

Mechanism of bubbles formation and anomalous phase separation in the CoNiP system

This study announces the anomalous phase separation in CoNiP alloy electroplating. The observed phenomenon of the formation of magnetic bubbles was described for the first time for this triple CoNiP system. This study briefly covers all stages of magnetic bubble formation, starting from the formation of an amorphous phosphor-rich sublayer, followed by nucleation centers, and finally cobalt-rich bubbles. An explanation for the anomalous mechanism of bubble formation was found in the effects of additives and the phenomena of depolarization and superpolarization.

The Process and Mechanism of Preparing Nanoporous Silicon: Helium Ion Implantation.

Ion implantation is an effective way to control performance in semiconductor technology. In this paper, the fabrication of 1~5 nm porous silicon by helium ion implantation was systemically studied, and the growth mechanism and regulation mechanism of helium bubbles in monocrystalline silicon at low temperatures were revealed. In this work, 100 keV He ions (1~7.5 × 1016 ions/cm2) were implanted into monocrystalline silicon at 115 °C~220 °C. There were three distinct stages in the growth of helium bubbles, showing different mechanisms of helium bubble formation. The minimum average diameter of a helium bubble is approximately 2.3 nm, and the maximum number density of the helium bubble is 4.2 × 1023 m-3 at 175 °C. The porous structure may not be obtained at injection temperatures below 115 °C or injection doses below 2.5 × 1016 ions/cm2. In the process, both the ion implantation temperature and ion implantation dose affect the growth of helium bubbles in monocrystalline silicon. Our findings suggest an effective approach to the fabrication of 1~5 nm nanoporous silicon, challenging the classic view of the relationship between process temperature or dose and pore size of porous silicon, and some new theories are summarized.

A general mechanism for transcription bubble nucleation in bacteria

Bacterial transcription initiation requires σ factors for nucleation of the transcription bubble. The canonical housekeeping σ factor, σ70, nucleates DNA melting via recognition of conserved bases of the promoter -10 motif, which are unstacked and captured in pockets of σ70. By contrast, the mechanism of transcription bubble nucleation and formation during the unrelated σN-mediated transcription initiation is poorly understood. Herein, we combine structural and biochemical approaches to establish that σN, like σ70, captures a flipped, unstacked base in a pocket formed between its N-terminal region I (RI) and extra-long helix features. Strikingly, RIinserts into the nascent bubble to stabilize the nucleated bubble prior to engagement of the obligate ATPase activator. Our data suggest a general paradigm of transcription initiation that requires σ factors to nucleate an early melted intermediate prior to productive RNA synthesis.

A study on the flow behavior and bubble evolution of circular oscillating laser welding of SUS301L-HT stainless steel

The flow characteristics, bubble formation and inhibition mechanisms of circular oscillating laser beam welding (OLBW) at distinct stages were elucidated in present work. The formation processes of bubbles mainly included the following manners. First, one or more of vortex P2, the recoil pressure flow P3, the migration flows FMF and BMF impinged the keyhole wall. The necking generated, gradually destabilized, and finally collapsed. Second, the self-instability of needle-like keyhole bottom (NKB) with large curvature induced the bubble formation. Third, complex melt flow broke the abnormal deformation of the keyhole or the bubble wall to form a new bubble. The bubble suppression mechanisms were summarized to three categories. First, the recoil pressure on the inner wall of bubble was at a low level, and the volume of bubble continually decreased until it collapsed. Second, high recoil pressure penetrated the metal liquid bridge between keyhole and bubble. Third, when recoil pressure was greater than the resultant force between surface tension and melt dynamic pressure, the bubble constantly fluctuated and gradually merged with the moving keyhole. As the frequency increased from 10 Hz to 200 Hz, porosity showed an exponential decrease from 7.16% to 0.35% in circular oscillation mode. A unified porosity prediction curve based on the Reynolds number was built with a coefficient of determination of 0.989. When fluid changed from laminar to turbulent flow, the critical Reynolds number was set as 1000, the predicted porosity was 0.912%, and the critical frequencies in circular and infinite oscillation modes were 143 Hz or 115 Hz, respectively, which were consistent with experiment results.

Experimental study on pressure characteristics and flow coefficient of butterfly valve

Air entrainment and self-aeration flow are phenomena that can generate fluctuation in pressure and induce disadvantages in piping systems. In this study, the mechanism of air bubble formation in Partially Filled Pipe Flow (PFPF) is investigated through a series of experiments on a butterfly valve with flow visualization and pressure measurement. This paper provides a description of the formation of bubbles induced by a butterfly valve and analyzes the characteristics of the pressure and flow coefficient of the valve. The pressures at various locations on the pipeline adjacent to the valve were measured to compare with the positions recommended by the International Society of Automation standard. The results indicated that in PFPF, the differences in the pressure between measured points downstream are noticeable, notably at valve openings less than 50°. The bubbles created at the valve, which lead to the highly-disordered aerated flow downstream, might induce the differences. The pressure drop and the flow rate across the butterfly valve in 100% water fraction flow are respectively 3–7.5 and 2–9 times higher than those in 90% WF. The flow coefficient of the 3-inch butterfly valve was found to increase linearly with the Reynolds number before leveling off when the Reynolds number exceeds 6×104. Besides, the flow coefficients in 100% water fraction flow are double those in 90% water fraction flow.