Led by Zhang, a scientific dream team has laid a new foundation for fluid dynamic discovery. They’re doing this pioneering work by looking at how microbubbles act in boiling water. Small is the perfect journal to publish big discoveries on small bubbles’ shimmies. Researchers have learned to use these vibrations to control fluids with high precision, creating new possibilities for applications across a diverse array of scientific and industrial landscapes.
To create the bubbles, the researchers produced two gas bubbles—each about 10 micrometers in diameter. These microbubbles were found to spontaneously undergo nonlinear oscillations at sub-megahertz frequencies. To clarify, examine, and enhance this understanding, the team studied how the bubbles’ vibrational modes coupled to one another. In particular, they looked at how the proximity affected their behavior.
Their experiments revealed a surprising phenomenon: neighboring bubbles tend to synchronize their vibrations. This synchronization is incredibly sensitive to distance. The researchers found that altering the distance between the bubbles by as little as 10 micrometers from each other resulted in a change in vibration frequency of more than 50%. This unprecedented degree of control represents a new frontier in fluid manipulation capabilities.
It’s a stunning accomplishment that Zhang and his colleagues produced. They measured how the vibration pattern of the bubbles changed—including with even small shifts in their ensemble positions. The team expertly manipulated the space in between the bubbles. This enabled them to toggle the synchronization state and frequency of the vibrations. This ability to manipulate bubble dynamics opens new avenues for precision applications in various fields, including biomedical engineering and materials science.
Kyoko Namura is corresponding author of this research. Its promise for improving fluid management practices has garnered a lot of interest. The successful capillary structure was associated with a notable multifaceted relationship between microbubble dynamics and fluid manipulation. This is vital research that can inform and inspire better technological innovations.
The results of the project were featured on phys.org on May 2, 2025. The study is titled “Microbubble dynamics in boiling water enable precision fluid manipulation,” and it can be referenced using the DOI 10.1002/smll.202408979.
