Dynamics of a surfactant-laden bubble bursting through an interface

Abstract

We study the effect of surfactant on the dynamics of a bubble bursting through an interface. We perform fully three-dimensional direct numerical simulations using a hybrid interface-tracking/level-set method accounting for surfactant-induced Marangoni stresses, sorption kinetics and diffusive effects. We select an initial bubble shape corresponding to a large Laplace number and a vanishingly small Bond number in order to neglect gravity, and isolate the effects of surfactant on the flow. Our results demonstrate that the presence of surfactant affects the dynamics of the system through Marangoni-induced flow, driving motion from high to low concentration regions, which is responsible for the onset of a recirculation zone close to the free surface. These Marangoni stresses rigidify the interface, delay the cavity collapse and influence the jet breakup process.