Using Sound To Study the Effect of Frothers on the Breakaway of Air Bubbles at an Underwater Capillary.

Frothers, a class of surfactants, are widely employed in froth flotation to aid the generation of small bubbles. Their action is commonly explained by their ability to hinder coalescence. There are occasional references suggesting that the frother may also play a role in the initial breakup of the injected air mass.

Comparative real-time characterization of frother bubble thin films.

Methylisobutyl carbinol (MIBC) and methoxy polypropylene glycol (Dowfroth 250) bubble thin films were characterized by composition and thickness determinations, using FT-IR spectroscopy and UV-visible spectrophotometry, respectively. The infrared investigation indicates that the role of frother molecules in creating bubble thin films is based on their effectiveness in inducing H-bonding reorganization of the surrounding free water molecules into a coherent network. From UV-visible interference patterns, it is found that MIBC forms films with a measured critical end thickness of less than 160 nm, compared to 612+/-30 nm for Dowfroth 250.