Particle tracking around surface nanobubbles

Abstract

The exceptionally long lifetime of surface nanobubbles remains one of the biggest questions in the field. One of the proposed mechanisms for the stability is the \emph{dynamic equilibrium} model, which describes a constant flux of gas in and out of the bubble. Here, we describe results from particle tracking experiments to measure this flow. The results are analysed by measuring the Vorono\"i cell size distribution, the diffusion, and speed of the tracer particles. We show that there is no detectable difference in the movement of particles above nanobubble-laden surfaces, as compared to nanobubble-free surfaces.