Arresting bubble coarsening: A model for stopping grain growth with interfacial elasticity

Anniina Salonen (1) , Cyprien Gay (2) , Armando Maestro (1) , Wiebke Drenckhan (1) , Emmanuelle Rio (1)

1 LPS - Laboratoire de Physique des Solides
2 MSC - Matière et Systèmes Complexes

Many two-phase materials suffer from grain-growth due to the energy cost which is associated with the interface that separates both phases. While our understanding of the driving forces and the dynamics of grain growth in different materials is well advanced by now, current research efforts address the question of how this process may be slowed down, or, ideally, arrested. We use a model system of two bubbles to explore how the presence of an interfacial elasticity may interfere with the coarsening process and the final grain size distribution. Combining experiments and modelling in the analysis of the evolution of two bubbles, we show that clear relationships can be predicted between the interfacial tension, the interfacial elasticity and the change in bubble polydispersity. Despite its general interest, the presented results have direct implications for our understanding of foam stability.

Mots clés: Liquid foam; coarsening; bubble; insoluble surfactant; Gibbs criterion; surface elasticity

Domaines: Matière Molle [cond-mat.soft]

Anniina Salonen, Cyprien Gay, Armando Maestro, Wiebke Drenckhan, Emmanuelle Rio. Arresting bubble coarsening: A model for stopping grain growth with interfacial elasticity. 2015. ⟨hal-01149400v1⟩