Spark bubble interaction with a suspended particle

Abstract

Cavitation bubble collapse is influenced by nearby surfaces or objects. A bubble near a rigid surface will move towards the surface and collapse with a high speed jet. When a hard particle is suspended near a bubble generated by electric spark, the bubble expands and collapses moving the particle. We found that within a limit of stand-off distance, the particle is propelled away from the bubble as it collapses. At a slightly larger stand-off distance, the bubble collapse causes the particle to move towards the bubble initially before moving away. The bubble does not move the particle if it is placed far away. This conclusion is important for applications such as drug delivery in which the particle is to be propelled away from the collapsing bubble.