Search for: All records

In this work, we experimentally studied bubble formation on the superhydrophobic surface (SHS) under a constant gas flow rate and at quasi-static regime. SHS with a radius RSHS ranging from 4.2 to 19.0 mm was used. We observed two bubbling modes A and B, depending on RSHS. In mode A for small RSHS, contact line fixed at the rim of SHS, and contact angle (θ) initially reduced, then maintained as a constant, and finally increased. In mode B for large RSHS, contact line continuously expanded, and θ slowly reduced. For both modes, during necking, contact line retracts, and θ was close to the equilibrium contact angle. Moreover, the pinch-off of bubble at the early stage was similar to the pinch-off of bubble from a nozzle and followed a power-law relation Rneck ∼ τ0.54, where Rneck is the minimum neck radius and τ is the time to detaching. Furthermore, we calculated the forces acting on the bubble and found a balance between one lifting force (pressure force) and two retaining forces (surface tension force and buoyancy force). Last, we found a waiting time for a finite volume to be detected for large RSHS. The detached volume was well predicted by Tate volume, which was derived based on balance between buoyancy and surface tension and was a function of bubble base radius. 

Abstract We experimentally studied the effect of gas flow rateQon the bubble formation on a superhydrophobic surface (SHS). We variedQin the range of 0.001 < Q/Q_cr < 0.35, whereQ_cris the critical value for a transition from the quasi‐static regime to the dynamic regime. The bubble geometrical parameters and forces acting on the bubble were calculated. We found that asQincrease, the bubble detached volume (V_d) increased. After proper normalization, the relationship betweenV_dandQgenerally agreed with those observed for bubbles detaching from hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces. Furthermore, we found thatQhad a minor impact on bubble shape and the duration of bubble necking due to the negligible momentum of injected gas compared to surface tension and hydrostatic pressure. Lastly, we explained the primary reason for the largerV_dat higher flow rates, which was increased bubble volume during the necking process. Our results enhanced the fundamental understanding of bubble formation on complex surfaces and could provide potential solutions for controlling bubble generation and extending the application of SHS for drag reduction, anti‐fouling, and heat and mass transfer enhancement. 

In this work, we experimentally investigated the impact of surface roughness on drag reduction as well as the plastron stability of superhydrophobic surfaces (SHSs) in turbulent flows. A series of SHSs were fabricated by spraying hydrophobic nanoparticles on sandpapers. By changing the grit size of sandpapers from 240 to 1500, the root mean square roughness height (krms) of the SHSs varied from 4 to 14 μm. The experiments were performed in a turbulent channel flow facility, where the mean flow speed (Um) varied from 0.5 to 4.4 m/s, and the Reynolds number (Rem) based on Um and channel height changed from 3400 to 26 400. The drag reduction by SHSs was measured based on pressure drops in the fully developed flow region. The plastron status and gas fraction (φg) were simultaneously monitored by reflected-light microscopy. Our results showed a strong correlation between drag reduction and krms+ = krms/δv, where δv is the viscous length scale. For krms+ < 1, drag reduction was independent of krms+. A maximum 47% drag reduction was observed. For 1 < krms+ < 2, less drag reduction was observed due to the roughness effect. And for krms+ > 2, the SHSs caused an increase in drag. Furthermore, we found that surface roughness influenced the trend of plastron depletion in turbulent flows. As increasing Rem, φg reduced gradually for SHSs with large krms, but reduced rapidly and maintained as a constant for SHSs with small krms. Finally, we found that as increasing Rem, the slip length of SHS reduced, although φg was nearly a constant.