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Electricity Gives Bubbles Super Strength

Posted by samzenpus on from the under-the-bubble dept.

sciencehabit writes "Left to its own devices, a bubble will weaken and pop as the fluid sandwiched between two thin layers of soap succumbs to gravity and drains toward the floor. But when researchers trapped a bubble between two platinum electrodes and cranked up the voltage, the fluid reversed direction and actually flowed up, against the force of gravity. The newly strong and stable bubbles could live for hours, and even visibly change colors as their walls grew fatter. Because soap film is naturally only nanometers thick, this whimsical experiment could help scientists create more efficient labs-on-chips, the mazes of nanotunnels that can diagnose disease based on the movements of a miniscule drop of blood."

6 of 66 comments (clear)

  1. Anti gravity applications? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Some washing up liquid bottles, sticky back plastic and Sellotape, Blue Peter were way ahead of their time, they just omitted the platinum electrodes and high voltage!

    1. Re:Anti gravity applications? by Coisiche · · Score: 5, Informative

      The reference is to a British children's TV program called Blue Peter. Many decades ago, when I watched it, it would frequently feature construction projects where required materials were almost always an empty washing-up liquid bottle, sellotape and sticky-backed plastic. The last one being hard to come by in Aucherterarder; the target audience was clearly city kids.

    2. Re:Anti gravity applications? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Someone want to translate this cryptic passage to English?

      The irony is that it is in English.

      What you want is a translation to American.

    3. Re:Anti gravity applications? by Canazza · · Score: 4, Funny

      Posh bastard!

      We used brown wrapping paper and had to like it.

      Oh what I would have given for some sticky back plastic to cover our books with!

      --
      It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for being subtle.
  2. Re:That's all I need by foniksonik · · Score: 3, Funny

    Are you saying the Powerpuff Girls grew up and became hookers? I knew the economy was bad but that is just depressing...

    --
    A fool throws a stone into a well and a thousand sages can not remove it.
  3. Thin bubbles by mbone · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Normal soap bubbles are about 500 to 1000 nanometers thick - that's why you can see colors (iridescence) on the surface - it's from interference (diffraction) of light reflecting on the inside and outside of the bubble wall. These bubbles are, according to TOA, nanometers thick, which is very thin, at least compared to the soap bubbles we see.