69th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics (November 20, 2016 — November 22, 2016)

V0052: "Superbubblephilic" Surfaces: Sub-critical heating induced nucleation on superhydrophobic surfaces

Authors
  • Adam Cowley, Brigham Young University
  • Matthew Searle, Brigham Young University
  • Julie Crockett, Brigham Young University
  • Daniel Maynes, Brigham Young University
  • Brian Iverson, Brigham Young University
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/APS.DFD.2016.GFM.V0052

Water flows horizontally through a narrow channel over a heated superhydrophobic surface with a rib-patterned microstructure. A camera views the surface (top down) through a glass slide which forms the top of the channel. Air dissolved in the water effervesces as the water temperature rises and nucleates on the air-filled microscale cavities. Bubbles grow from the nucleation sites, merge together, and are eventually swept away. The geometry of the microstructure influences the nucleation and growth of the air bubbles. Ribs perpendicular to the flow form bubbles which span the channel, ribs parallel to the flow form few bubbles, and ribs parallel to the flow with sparsely-spaced perpendicular ribs retain bubbles which span only a portion of the channel width.

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