title: Effects of surfactants on the formation and the stability of interfacial nanobubbles.
abstract: Contamination has previously been invoked to explain the flat shape and the long lifetimes of interfacial nanobubbles (INBs). In this study, the effects of surfactants on the formation and the stability of INBs were investigated when surfactants were added to the system before, during, and after the standard solvent exchange procedure (SSEP) for the formation of INBs. The solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) above critical micelle concentration were found to have little effect on the bubble stability. Likewise, cleaning of the substrate with a surfactant solution had little effect. In contrast, addition of a water-insoluble surfactant during the formation dramatically reduced the INBs. Finally, repeated application of SSEP to surfactant-coated substrates progressively rinsed the surfactant off the system. Thus, we found no evidence to support the hypothesis that (1) INBs are stabilized by a layer of insoluble organic contaminant or that (2) SSEP introduces surface-active materials to the system that could stabilize INBs.
authors: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia. xuehuaz@unimelb.edu.au
authors: Xuehua
authors: X
authors: Zhang
authors: Md Hemayet
authors: MH
authors: Uddin
authors: Haijun
authors: H
authors: Yang
authors: Gary
authors: G
authors: Toikka
authors: William
authors: W
authors: Ducker
authors: Nobuo
authors: N
authors: Maeda
mesh_terms: D008027:Light; D008823:Micelles; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate / Q000737:chemistry*; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D008823:Micelles; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate