Bubble formation in a quiescent pool of gold nanoparticle suspension

Manufacturing a TiO2-Based Semiconductor Film with Nanofluid Pool Boiling and Sintering Processes toward Solar-Cell Applications

For the first time, nanofluid boiling was applied as a process for the creation of a semiconductor TiO₂ nanoparticle film that can be deposited onto a conductive substrate (F-doped SnO₂ glass: FTO). A steel-base device designed for pool boiling was used to deposit a TiO₂-based nanofluid consisting of nanoparticles with an average size of about 20 nm. The boiling of the nanofluid directly on the FTO glass substrate allowed for the deposition of the nanoparticles onto the FTO surface. In principle, the surface responsible for transferring heat to the fluid can be covered with these nanoparticles when the nanofluid boils. Using the as-deposited films, crystal growth of the TiO₂ nanoparticle was controlled by varying the strategies of the post-sintering profile. The maximum temperatures, periods, and ramping rates for the obtained samples were systematically changed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that a densely packed TiO₂-nanoparticle layer was obtained for the as-deposited substrate via pool boiling. For the maximum temperature at 550 °C, the TiO₂ grain sizes became larger (~50 nm) and more round-shaped TiO₂ nanostructures were identified. Notably, we have demonstrated for the first time how the sintering of TiO₂ nanoparticles proceeds for the nanoporous TiO₂ films using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements. We found that the TiO₂ nanoparticles fused with each other and crystal growth occurred through neighboring 2–4 nanoparticles for the 550 °C sample, which was proved by the TEM analysis that continuous lattice fringes corresponding to the (101) anatase phase were clearly observed through the entire area of some nanoparticles aligned horizontally. In addition, the loss of the TiO₂ nanofluid (precursor solution) was completely avoided in our TiO₂ deposition. Unlike the commonly used spin-coating method, nanofluid pool boiling would provide an alternative cost-effective approach to manufacture semiconductor layers for various applications, such as solar cells.

Bubble Movement on Inclined Hydrophobic Surfaces

The movement of a single air bubble on an inclined hydrophobic surface submerged in water, including both the upward- and downward-facing sides of the surface, was investigated. A planar Teflon sheet with an apparent contact angle of a sessile water droplet of 106° was used as a hydrophobic surface. The volume of a bubble and the inclination angle of a Teflon sheet varied in the ranges 5-40 μL and 0-45°, respectively. The effects of the bubble volume on the adhesion and dynamics of the bubble were studied experimentally on the facing-up and facing-down surfaces of the submerged hydrophobic Teflon sheet, respectively, and compared. The result shows that the sliding angle has an inverse relationship with the bubble volume for both the upward- and downward-facing surfaces. However, at the same given volume, the bubble on the downward-facing surface spreads over a larger area of the hydrophobic surface than the upward-facing surface due to the greater hydrostatic pressure acting on the bubble on the downward-facing surface. This makes the lateral adhesion force of the bubble greater and requires a larger inclination angle to result in sliding.

One-Pot Preparation of Nano-SiO2 Using a Silane Derivative as a Coupling Agent

The nano-silica particles were prepared by one-pot method using absolute ethanol as solvent. After the nano-silica derived from TEOS was synthesized, the coupling agent was added into the above suspension without any filtration or purification processes to modify the nano SiO2. The optimum modification conditions were determined based on the degree of oil affinity and water sorption ratio. The size and morphology of SiO2 before and after modification were observed using Transmission Electron Microscopy. The introductions of the organic chains to their surfaces were measured using Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrophotometry, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and 13C solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. The influences of the hydrophobicity of the organic functional group on the nano-silica particles were tested by the water contact angle. The results show that the organic chains had been grafted on the surface of nano-silica.

Modification of the Young-Laplace equation and prediction of bubble interface in the presence of nanoparticles

Bubbles are fundamental to our daily life and have wide applications such as in the chemical and petrochemical industry, pharmaceutical engineering, mineral processing and colloids engineering. This paper reviews the existing theoretical and experimental bubble studies, with a special focus on the dynamics of triple line and the influence of nanoparticles on the bubble growth and departure process. Nanoparticles are found to influence significantly the effective interfacial properties and the dynamics of triple line, whose effects are dependent on the particle morphology and their interaction with the substrate. While the Young-Laplace equation is widely applied to predict the bubble shape, its application is limited under highly non-equilibrium conditions. Using gold nanoparticle as an example, new experimental study is conducted to reveal the particle concentration influence on the behaviour of triple line and bubble dynamics. A new method is developed to predict the bubble shape when the interfacial equilibrium conditions cannot be met, such as during the oscillation period. The method is used to calculate the pressure difference between the gas and liquid phases, which is shown to oscillate across the liquid-gas interface and is responsible for the interface fluctuation. The comparison of the theoretical study with the experimental data shows a very good agreement, which suggests its potential application to predict bubble shape during non-equilibrium conditions.

Study of wetting on chemically soften interfaces by using combined solution thermodynamics and DFT calculations: forecasting effective softening elements

Despite recent progress in understanding the wetting principles on soft solids, the roles of chemical bonding in the formation of interfaces have been largely ignored, because most of these studies are conducted at room temperatures. Here we propose a universal wetting principle from solution thermodynamics to account for the softening of both the solid and liquid surfaces (stable or metastable). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations are applied to evaluate the stability and electron transportation across the interfaces. We find that wetting is dominated by the system entropy changes involving not only the stable liquid alloy phase but also the metastable liquid oxide phases. The state-of-art multicomponent solution thermodynamic models and databases are applied to describe the entropy changes and predict the wetting behaviors. Our results show that by chemically softening either the liquid or the solid phase, the wetting angle reduces. And an effective soften agent/additive (either in the form of chemical elements or molecules) will weaken the bonds within the liquid (or solid) phase and promote new bonds at the interfaces, thus increasing the interface entropy. Subsequently, as an example, Ti and Zr are proposed as effective softening elements to improve the wetting of aluminum liquid on B6Si(s). This approach provides a concept and tool to advance research in catalytic chemistry, nucleation (growth), elastowetting, and cell-substrate interactions.

The Cassie equation: how it is meant to be used

A review of literature shows that the majority of papers cite a potentially incorrect form of the Cassie and Cassie-Baxter equations to interpret or predict contact angle data. We show that for surfaces wet with a composite interface, the commonly used form of the Cassie-Baxter equation, cosθ(c)=f(1)cosθ-(1-f), is only correct for the case of flat topped pillar geometry without any penetration of the liquid. In general, the original form of the Cassie-Baxter equation, cosθ(c)=f(1)cosθ(1)-f(2), with f(1)+f(2)≥1, should be used. The differences between the two equations are discussed and the errors involved in using the incorrect equation are estimated to be between ~3° and 13° for superhydrophobic surfaces. The discrepancies between the two equations are also discussed for the case of a liquid undergoing partial, but increasing, levels of penetration. Finally, a general equation is presented for the transition/stability criterion between the Cassie-Baxter and Wenzel modes of wetting.

Nanofluid surface wettability through asymptotic contact angle

This investigation introduces the asymptotic contact angle as a criterion to quantify the surface wettability of nanofluids and determines the variation of solid surface tensions with nanofluid concentration and nanoparticle size. The asymptotic contact angle, which is only a function of gas-liquid-solid physical properties, is independent of droplet size for ideal surfaces and can be obtained by equating the normal component of interfacial force on an axisymmetric droplet to that of a spherical droplet. The technique is illustrated for a series of bismuth telluride nanofluids where the variation of surface wettability is measured and evaluated by asymptotic contact angles as a function of nanoparticle size, concentration, and substrate material. It is found that the variation of nanofluid concentration, nanoparticle size, and substrate modifies both the gas-liquid and solid surface tensions, which consequently affects the force balance at the triple line, the contact angle, and surface wettability.

Ultrasonic-aided fabrication of gold nanofluids

A novel ultrasonic-aided one-step method for the fabrication of gold nanofluids is proposed in this study. Both spherical- and plate-shaped gold nanoparticles (GNPs) in the size range of 10-300 nm are synthesized. Subsequent purification produces well-controlled nanofluids with known solid and liquid contents. The morphology and properties of the nanoparticle and nanofluids are characterized by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscope, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering, as well as effective thermal conductivities. The ultrasonication technique is found to be a very powerful tool in engineering the size and shape of GNPs. Subsequent property measurement shows that both particle size and particle shape play significant roles in determining the effective thermal conductivity. A large increase in effective thermal conductivity can be achieved (approximately 65%) for gold nanofluids using plate-shaped particles under low particle concentrations (i.e.764 μM/L).