Bubble generation in a nanoconfined liquid film between dielectric-coated electrodes under alternating current electric fields

In this letter, the bubble generation behavior in a nanoconfined liquid film under external alternating current (ac) electric fields (EEFs) has been investigated with the relative optical interference intensity technique. A counterintuitive phenomenon has been found that bubbles generate more easily and intensively when the electrode is coated with a dielectric coating while the total electrical power in the system is significantly lower than the case without the coating. The bubble generation under ac EEFs has been found to be highly ac frequency dependent. The variations in the threshold external voltage and current beyond which bubbles begin to generate with the frequency become more significant in the system with a dielectric-coated electrode. Mechanisms of these experimental phenomena have been discussed.

[1]  K. Tada,et al.  Changes in Orientational Polarization and Structure of Silicon Dioxide Film by Fluorine Addition , 1999 .

[2]  Jianbin Luo,et al.  Effect of external electric field on liquid film confined within nanogap , 2008 .

[3]  Evelyn N Wang,et al.  Reversible wetting-dewetting transitions on electrically tunable superhydrophobic nanostructured surfaces. , 2007, Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids.

[4]  Ille C. Gebeshuber,et al.  Surface analysis on rolling bearings after exposure to defined electric stress , 2009 .

[5]  S. Wen,et al.  Tribological properties of nanoliquid film under an external electric field , 2004 .

[6]  Hee K. Park,et al.  Optical probing of the temperature transients during pulsed-laser induced boiling of liquids , 1996 .

[7]  Lanjun Yang,et al.  Characteristics of streamer discharge development between the dielectric-coated sphere-plane electrodes in water , 2008 .

[8]  S. Wen,et al.  Thin film lubrication. Part I. Study on the transition between EHL and thin film lubrication using a relative optical interference intensity technique , 1996 .

[9]  A. Koval'chuk.  Relaxation processes and charge transport across liquid crystal-electrode interface , 2001 .

[10]  R. Adrian,et al.  Vapor generation in a nanoparticle liquid suspension using a focused, continuous laser , 2009 .

[11]  D. Lapotko,et al.  Bubble generation in micro-volumes of “nanofluids” , 2009 .

[12]  Jianbin Luo,et al.  Gas bubble phenomenon in nanoscale liquid film under external electric field , 2006 .

[13]  R. Fu,et al.  Frequency effects on the dielectric properties of AlN film deposited by radio frequency reactive magnetron sputtering , 2009 .

[14]  Stephan Herminghaus,et al.  Dynamical instability of thin liquid films between conducting media. , 1999 .

[15]  Ravindra P. Joshi,et al.  Analysis of polarity effects in the electrical breakdown of liquids , 2005 .

[16]  V. Romanenkov,et al.  Loop heat pipe for cooling of high-power electronic components , 2009 .

[17]  Structure of Ions in Liquid-Crystalline Materials , 1998 .

[18]  Zhou Danna,et al.  Heat transfer enhancement of copper nanofluid with acoustic cavitation , 2004 .