Dynamics of bubble absorption over porous membranes in an immersed medium

Abstract

Porous superhydrophobic (SHP) membranes are gaining considerable attention due to their excellent underwater absorption and drag reduction properties. They exploit the Cassie‒Baxter state of wetting to remove the bubble in a fast and reliable manner. Despite advancements in the understanding of droplets, the interaction of bubbles in such systems is not well understood. In the present study, we explore the impact dynamics of bubbles on a completely immersed porous SHP membrane. We focused on its bubble absorption capabilities under practically relevant variations in the impact angle and hydrostatic loading. Furthermore, wettability is also considered by exposing the material to oxygen plasma without changing the underlying physical structure. Concurrent with the fundamental investigation, we also propose a novel and efficient bubble absorption configuration using the same system. This scenario poses an inverse problem to the droplet spreading on solid surfaces with analogous implications and bear far-reaching consequences in domains ranging from biomedical engineering to underwater collection of hydrocarbons.

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RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2026 The Author(s). Droplet published by Jilin University and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.