On-Demand Bulk Nanobubble Generation through Pulsed Laser Illumination

We demonstrate the temporally and spatially controlled nucleation of bulk nanobubbles in water through pulsed laser irradiation with a collimated beam. Transient bubbles appear within the light exposed region once a tension wave passes through. The correlation between illumination and cavitation nucleation provides evidence that gaseous nanobubbles are nucleated in the liquid by a laser pulse with an intensity above 58 MW/cm(2). We estimate the radius of the nanobubbles through microscopic high-speed imaging and by solving the diffusion equation to be below 420 nm for similar to 80% of the bubble population. This technique may provide a novel approach to test theories on existence of stable bulk nanobubbles.

Automated summary

By pulsed laser irradiation with a collimated beam, temporally and spatially controlled nucleation of bulk nanobubbles in water was successfully demonstrated. This technique shows potential for testing theories on the existence of stable bulk nanobubbles.