The influence of salt concentration on the dissolution of microbubbles in bulk aqueous electrolyte solutions.

This article focuses on the study of microbubble (MB) dissolution kinetics in aqueous electrolyte solutions, specifically examining how increasing salt concentration affects the process. By modifying the Epstein–Plesset theory to incorporate surface charging effects and conducting experiments with sodium chloride (NaCl) solutions, the authors demonstrate that higher salt concentrations slow down MB dissolution. The effective surface charge density of MBs, arising from ion-specific near-surface redistribution described by a modified Poisson–Boltzmann theory with ad hoc ion potentials, was quantitatively estimated and found to agree well with experimental data. This combined theoretical and experimental framework provides new insights into the interplay between molecular ion distributions and macroscopic bubble dynamics, with implications for various physical, chemical, biological, and engineering applications.