In orbit, finding the "bottom" of your coffee cup is a non-trivial task. Subtle forces often masked by gravity influence the containment and transport of fluids aboard spacecraft, often in surprising non-intuitive ways. Terrestrial experience with capillary forces is typically relegated to the micro-scale, but engineering community exposure to large length scale capillary fluidics critical to spacecraft fluid management design is low indeed. Low-cost drop towers and fast-to-flight International Space Station (ISS) experiments are increasing designer exposure to this fresh field of study. This work first provides a wide variety of drop tower tests that demonstrate fundamental and applied capillary fluidics phenomena related to liquid droplets and gas bubbles. New observations in droplet auto-ejection, droplet combustion, forced jet combustion, puddle jumping, bubble jumping, and passive phase separation are presented. We also present the Capillary Beverage Experiment on ISS as a fun and enlightening application of capillary fluidics where containment and passive control of poorly wetting aqueous capillary systems is observed. Astronauts are able to smell their coffee from the open stable container while still drinking in an Earth-like manner with the role of gravity replaced by the combined effects of surface tension, wetting, and special container geometry. The design, manufacture, low-g demonstrations, and quantitative performance of the Space Cups are highlighted. Comparisons of numerical simulations, drop tower experiments, and ISS experiments testify to the prospects of new no-moving-parts capillary solutions for certain water-based life support operations aboard spacecraft.

L’industrie aéronautique a exprimé un besoin en matériaux pour des zones fortement chargées thermiquement et mécaniquement. L’objectif est d’optimiser grâce à ces matériaux, notamment en termes de poids et de rendement, le coeur des turboréacteurs. Un procédé par voie liquide appelé «Reactive Melt infiltration» est industriellement envisagé pour fabriquer ces matériaux. La densification est tributaire de la compétition entre la montée capillaire et la réaction chimique entre le silicium liquide et la poudre préalablement introduite. Cette concurrence peut conduire à des phénomènes de «choking off» qui doivent être évités. Dans ce travail, l’approche numérique est à la fois macroscopique et microscopique. Des validations numériques, des applications dans le cadre de géométries modèles et des analyses physiques sont présentées pour les deux échelles. Les simulations d’imbibition réactive à l’échelle de la pièce sont effectués avec un outil développé au sein de SAFRAN alors que les simulations de montées capillaires dans des géométries modèles à l’échelle du pore sont réalisées avec le code de calcul Thétis (développé à l’I2M, Bordeaux). Une méthodologie expérimentale pour le suivi et l’analyse de l’imprégnation capillaire réactive d’un milieu granulaire constitué de matériaux modèles est également présentée. / The development of ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) to replace certain metal components ininternal hot parts of aircraft engines is an active research field for the aeronautical industry. Theseadvanced components may be manufactured with a fluid processing called ReactiveMelt Infiltration(RMI). The densification step is the capillary rise of a molten metal such as silicon within a wovenpreform. The molten metal can react with the previously introduced ceramic powder and lead to arefractory matrix. The competition between capillary rise and the reaction between molten siliconand introduced carbon powder has to be managed. The ambition is to prevent choking off effectsand closed pores created by preferential paths. Simulations of two-phase flows at macroscopic scaleare undertaken with a homemade code developed in SAFRAN whereas simulations of two-phaseflows atmicroscopic scale were undertaken with CFD code Thétis (developed at I2M, Bordeaux). Anexperimental methodology for analysis of reactive or not reactive capillary impregnation in granularmedia is described.

O presente trabalho tem como proposição investigar a hipótese de que a diminuição da tensão superficial do líquido favorece o comportamento reológico de suspensões concentradas, uma vez que as partículas estão mais próximas e a contribuição da força de capilaridade possivelmente aumenta. Como suspensões concentradas tendem ao comportamento viscoelástico, investigou-se métodos reológicos propícios para analisar possíveis consequências devido à alteração da tensão superficial da água. Foram utilizados dois carbonatos de cálcio equivalentes (P1 e P5) que se diferenciam pela distribuição granulométrica. Utilizou-se dois dispersantes de mercado e etilenoglicol como modificadores de tensão superficial. A análise de superfície pelo ensaio de potencial zeta, revelou carga superficial positiva. Embora os pós sejam equivalentes, a mobilidade eletroforética do P5 é menor. Verificou-se que o íon cálcio é determinante do potencial. Verificou-se contribuição eletrostática apenas dos dispersantes. O ensaio de gota pendente constatou diminuição da tensão superficial da água com os três aditivos. Ensaios de ascensão capilar pelo método de Washburn revelaram maiores ângulos de contato para ensaios com aditivos, sendo menor para P5. Avaliou-se geometrias e métodos reológicos a fim de selecionar bom conjunto para medidas de viscoelasticidade, sendo oscilatório de tensão e geometria vane escolhidos. O acréscimo dos dispersantes resultou em menores valores de G\' e tensões de escoamento, enquanto o etilenoglicol resultou em maiores. Não há relação clara entre valores calculados de ângulo de contato e mobilidade eletroforética. Os ensaio reológicos e de mobilidade relacionaram-se apenas para os dispersantes. A hipótese foi verificada pelos valores de tensão de escoamento e IPS. Para os dispersantes, foi possível observar comportamento próximo à hipótese, quanto menor foi a tensão superficial do líquido, menores valores de tensão para menores IPS. Explorou-se também a hipótese pelos ensaios de ângulo de contato, observou-se novamente curva próxima a hipótese. Embora necessidade de mais ensaios, o presente trabalho contribuiu para metodologia de exploração de características de superfície, dispersão e reológicas de suspensões concentradas. / The proposition of the present work is to investigate the hypothesis that the reduction of the surface tension of the liquid favors the rheological behavior of concentrated suspensions, since the particles are closer and the contribution of capillarity forces possibly increases. As concentrated suspensions tend to viscoelastic behavior, rheological methods were examined to analyze possible consequences due to changes of surface tension of the water. Two equivalent calcium carbonates (P1 and P5) were used and differ by particle-size distribution. Two market dispersants and ethylene glycol were used as surfactant. Surface analysis by the zeta potential test revealed positive surface charge and, although the powders are equivalent, the electrophoretic mobility of P5 is lower. The reults show that calcium is potential determining ion. Electrostatic contribution was found only for the dispersants. Pendant drop test showed a decrease in the surface tension of the water with the three additives. Washburn capillary rise technique estimated greater contact angles for tests with additives and lower ones for P5. Rheological geometries and methods were evaluated in order to select good set for viscoelasticity measurements, choosing oscillatory stress sweep and vane geometry. The addition of the dispersants resulted in lower values G \'and yield stress, while ethylene glycol resulted in higher values. There is no clear relation between contact angle and electrophoretic mobility. The rheological and eletrophoretic mobility showed relation only for dispersants. The hypothesis was verified by the values yield stress and IPS. For the dispersants, it was possible to observe behavior close to the hypothesis, the lower the surface tension of the liquid, the lower the yield stress for lower IPS. The hypothesis was also explored by the contact angle tests, a curve next to the hypothesis was observed again. Although the need for more tests, the present work contributed to the methodology of exploration of surface characteristics, dispersion and rheological characteristics of concentrated suspensions.

Cette thèse s’intéresse au rapport entre la forme et la géométrie d’un objet. Elle s’articule autour de 3 chapitres. Dans le premier, nous utilisons des "polymères électro-actifs", des systèmes capables de se déformer dans le plan lorsqu’ils sont soumis à un champ électrique,pour mimer une sorte de croissance biologique. Nous avons regardé comment une croissance inhomogène pouvait déclencher une instabilité de flambage dans une plaque électro-active.Nous avons ensuite cherché à contrôler de manière locale la croissance, dans l’espoir d’obtenir des objets capables de changer de forme sur commande. Dans le deuxième chapitre, nous nous avons étudié un problème inverse : au lieu de chercher à donner une nouvelle forme naturelle à l’objet, nous le forçons à adopter une forme qui ne lui est pas naturelle. Nous avons aplati des coques élastiques hémisphériques. La transformation d’une sphère en plan n’étant pas isométrique, cette opération crée des contraintes dans l’objet. Il se produit alors une instabilité mécanique que nous avons étudiée. Enfin, nous nous sommes penchés sur le problème des "lentilles de contact" en nous demandant si l’on pouvait coller l’une sur l’autre deux portions de sphères ayant des courbures différentes. Ici encore, la différence de courbure de Gauss entre les deux surfaces conduit à des motifs d’instabilités dans la coque élastique / From a general point of view, my thesis deals with the links between the geometry and the shape of an object. It is composed of three main chapters. In the first one, we use "electro-active polymers", systems that undergo planar expansion when submitted to an electric field, to mimic a kind of biological growth. We looked at how an inhomogeneous growth can trigger buckling instability in this electro-active plate. We then tried to control locally this growth, hoping to create objects that can change shape on command. In the second chapter, we studied the opposite problem: instead of giving it a new natural shape, we force the object in adopting a non natural shape. We squashed hemispherical elastic caps. Changing a sphere into a plane is not an isometrical transformation, this operation thus creates strains in the object. We studied the mecanical instability hence produced. Finally we focused on the "contact lens" problem by wondering if it is possible to stick two spherical caps having different curvature. Here again, the mismatch of Gaussian curvature leads to patterns of instability in the elastic shell

Les écoulements biphasiques en milieux poreux sont généralement accompagnés par des phénomènes d'émulsification d'une phase dans l'autre. Les causes peuvent être nombreuses, de la digitation visqueuse aux instabilités purement capillaires. Cette thèse expérimentale a pour objet l'étude d'un mécanisme particulier d'émulsification de l'huile en milieu poreux, ainsi que le transport des gouttes produites dans des milieux confinés. Dans la première partie de cette thèse, l'instabilité gravito-capillaire de Rayleigh-Taylor est revisitée dans un coin formé entre deux plaques de verre centimétriques. La présence d'un gradient de confinement introduit une force capillaire supplémentaire à cette instabilité canonique, susceptible de stabiliser une couche de liquide suspendue au-dessus du vide. Le seuil de stabilité, les longueurs d'onde caractéristiques et les taux de croissance sont bien modélisés par une analyse de stabilité linéaire de l'interface. La caractérisation de cette force capillaire induite par le gradient de confinement nous amène par la suite à l'étude d'une instabilité purement capillaire se produisant lorsqu'un fluide en mouillage très favorable migre vers les régions les plus confinées d'un coin, occupées initialement par un fluide en mouillage moins favorable. Le gradient de confinement introduit alors une force déstabilisante, aboutissant à l'inversion de la position respective des deux phases. Le liquide le moins mouillant est complètement émulsifié et transporté vers les régions les moins confinées sous la forme de gouttelettes. Une analyse de stabilité linéaire de l'interface permet, là encore, de prédire cette sélection de taille. Les taux de croissance mesurés ne sont en revanche pas en accord avec la modélisation, basée sur la loi de Darcy. Leur valeur suggère une localisation de la dissipation visqueuse dans les lignes de contact déplacées durant le développement de l'instabilité, ainsi que dans les films de lubrification également déposés. Ces dynamiques "non-darciennes" nous ont amenés dans une seconde partie de la thèse à l'étude du transport de gouttes d'huile très visqueuses confinées dans de l'eau en mouillage total. Dans cette configuration, la présence de films de lubrification d'eau entre la goutte et le substrat assure la localisation de la dissipation dans les films peu visqueux, favorisant ainsi la mobilité des gouttes. Nous montrons également que la présence de rugosités sur les parois du confinement induit un ralentissement significatif de la vitesse des gouttes, lié à l'amincissement du film de lubrification par ces rugosités. L'interdépendance subtile entre friction visqueuse à l'avant de la goutte et dans son volume est notamment mise en lumière. Dans une dernière partie, nous étudions l'instabilité capillaire se produisant lorsqu'une goutte binaire d'eau et d'alcool est déposée à la surface d'un bain d'huile. L'évaporation majoritaire de l'alcool à la surface de la goutte induit des variations locales de la tension de surface. Des écoulements interfaciaux de Marangoni se produisent, et aboutissent à la déstabilisation spectaculaire de la goutte en étalement. / Biphasic flows in porous media generally lead to the emulsification of one phase into the other. This may be due to several phenomena, such as viscous fingering or pure capillary instabilities. In this experimental thesis, we study a particular emulsifying phenomenon of oil in a model porous medium, as well as the transport of the produced droplets in confined regions. In the first part of the manuscript, the Rayleigh-Taylor instability is revisited in a wedge formed between two centimetric glass plates. The gradient of confinement leads to a capillary force not present in the canonical Rayleigh-Taylor instability. This new force can stabilize liquid layer above air submitted to gravity. The threshold of the instability, the characteristic wavelength and the growth rate are captured by a linear stability analysis of the interface. This characterization of the confinement-induced capillary force drove us to the study of a pure capillary instability occurring when a wetting liquid migrates toward the most confined regions of a wedge, initially filled with a less wetting liquid. The gradient of confinement generates a destabilizing force, leading to the complete inversion of the position of both phases. The less wetting liquid is fully emulsified and the produced droplets are convected towards the less confined regions. A linear stability analysis of the interface here again predicts the characteristic size of the droplets. However, the measured growth rates are not in agreement with the model, based on the Darcy law. This suggests a localization of viscous dissipation in the contact lines displaced during the development of the instability. Another source of viscous dissipation can be in the deposited lubrication films. Those "non-Darcian" dynamics motivated the second part of this thesis, which focuses on the motion of very viscous and non-wetting droplets confined in water. In this configuration, the lubrication film of water between the drop and the substrate ensures the localization of viscous dissipation in those films of low viscosity. This favors the extremely high mobility of the droplets. We also show that wall roughness may induce a thinning of these lubrication films. We shed light on the intricate coupling between viscous friction at the front of the drop and in its bulk. In a last part of this work, we study the capillary instability occurring when a binary droplet of water and alcohol is deposited at the surface of a vegetable oil bath. The dominant evaporation of alcohol at the surface of the drop induces local variations of surface tension. Interfacial Marangoni flows are thus observed, leading to the spectacular destabilization of the spreading droplet

Nous étudions expérimentalement le comportement d'un film liquide, dit de Landau-Levich, lorsqu'il s'évapore dans une atmosphère constituée uniquement de sa vapeur.La dynamique de ce type de film est un paramètre-clef qui gouverne le fonctionnement des caloducs oscillant (en anglais PHP - Pulsating Heat Pipes). Les PHP sont des liens thermiques de forte conductance. Les recherches récentes leur attribuent un pouvoir de refroidissement très élevé, ce qui les rend particulièrement convoités par l'industrie. Leur géométrie est simple : il s'agit d'un tube capillaire enroulé en plusieurs branches entre une partie froide (condenseur) et une partie chaude (évaporateur). Le tube est rempli d'un fluide pur diphasique, c'est-à-dire présent sous la forme d'une succession de bulles de vapeur et de bouchons de liquide. Lorsque la différence de température entre l’évaporateur et le condenseur dépasse un certain seuil, les bulles et bouchons commencent à osciller dans le tube, entre les deux parties, ce qui permet au PHP de transférer la chaleur.Notre installation expérimentale représente un PHP dans sa configuration la plus simple, à branche unique. Une interface liquide-vapeur oscille dans un tube de section rectangulaire, et dépose un film liquide à chaque passage. Nous nous intéressons au mécanisme qui permet l'entretien de l'oscillation de l'interface, et fixe sa fréquence. L'équation de mouvement obtenue prend en compte la dissipation visqueuse engendrée par un écoulement oscillant. Dans les modèles actuels de PHP, l'hypothèse d'un écoulement de type Poiseuille est formulée. Or, notre approche montre que l'hypothèse d'un écoulement faiblement inertiel est mieux adaptée, conduit à une dissipation deux fois supérieure.Le dispositif expérimental permet l'observation du film. Une combinaison originale de méthodes optiques permet également de mesurer sa longueur et son épaisseur, et de reconstruire son profil 3D à chaque instant. Nous pouvons suivre l'évolution du film tout au long de sa durée de vie, et ainsi analyser son comportement dynamique. Le film est presque plat (pente inférieure à 0,1°). Sur toute sa longueur, qui est de quelques centimètres, cela correspond à une variation de son épaisseur de moitié, la valeur moyenne étant de 50 microns. Sous l'effet du chauffage, le film se rétracte progressivement. Dès le début de son évaporation, un bourrelet de démouillage est formé sur le pourtour du film, près de la ligne triple. L'apparition de ce bourrelet est caractéristique d'un démouillage visqueux sous conditions de non-mouillage. Ce comportement est surprenant, dans la mesure où nous avons choisi un fluide mouillant parfaitement la paroi en conditions isothermes. A l'échelle nanométrique, au plus près de la ligne triple, l'angle de contact entre le liquide et la paroi est donc très faible. Nous mesurons cependant un grand angle apparent (c'est-à-dire visible à l'échelle millimétrique), qui augmente avec la surchauffe de la paroi. Dès l'augmentation de cet angle, le bourrelet de démouillage se forme, et le film se rétracte. Ce phénomène est expliqué par l'évaporation à l'échelle microscopique. Les résultats expérimentaux sont en accord quantitatif avec la théorie développée par d'autres chercheurs. / We experimentally study the behavior of liquid films - so called Landau-Levich films - when they evaporate in their pure vapor atmosphere.The dynamics of this film is a key parameter that rules out the functioning of Pulsating Heat Pipes (PHPs). PHPs are high conductive thermal links. Their heat transfert capability is known to be extremely high. For this reason they are promising for numerous industrial applications. Their geometry is simple. It is a capillary tube bent in several branches that meander between a hot part (called evaporator) and a cold part (called condenser), and filled up with a pure two-phase fluid. When the temperature difference between evaporator and condenser exceeds a certain threshold, gas bubbles and liquid plugs begin to oscillate spontaneously back and forth inside the tube and PHP starts transferring the heat.Our experimental setup features the simplest, single branch PHP. A liquid/vapor interface oscillates in a tube. It deposits a liquid film at each passage. We focus first on the mecanism which makes possible self-sustained interface oscillations and defines its frequency. The obtained motion equation accounts for the viscous dissipation caused by oscillatory flow. In existing PHP modelling, a laminar flow is supposed. Yet, our approach shows that the assumption of weakly inertial flow is preferable and leads to a dissipation rate twice larger that the Poiseuille flow.The experimental setup allows the film visualization. An original combination of optical measurement techniques lets us measure the film length, thickness and 3D-profile at all times. The film evolution has been measured during its whole lifetime. The film is nearly flat (its slope is smaller than 0,1°). The film length is of several centimeters, and the average thickness is 50 microns. Thus, along the total length, its thickness decreases by half. Under heating conditions, the film gradually recedes. A dewetting ridge is formed, near the triple contact line. Such a behavior is typical under non-wetting conditions. At the nanometric scale the contact angle between the liquid and the solid wall is very low. However, we measure a large apparent contact angle (visible at the millimetric scale) which increases with the wall superheating. Once this angle increases, the dewetting ridge is formed and the film recedes. The large apparent contact angle is explained by evaporation in the microscopic vicinity of the contact line. The measured apparent contact angle value agrees quantitatively with theoretical results obtained by other researchers.

Cette thèse porte sur les interactions mécaniques entre liquides et structures élastiques fines. Dans un premier temps, on s’intéresse à une goutte liquide posée sur une fibre horizontale indéformable. L’influence de la tension de surface et de la gravité est révélée par une étude numérique et analytique du système. Cette compréhension nous permet d’introduire un outil de mesure de rayon de fibre précis, validé expérimentalement sur des fibres microniques. Mais les forces capillaires développées par les gouttes peuvent être suffisantes pour déformer de fines fibres élastiques. Par exemple, lorsqu’elle est comprimée, une fibre de soie de capture d’araignée flambe et s’enroule au sein des gouttes d’eau qui la décorent naturellement. Cet enroulement élasto-capillaire octroie une extensibilité apparente remarquable à la fibre composite qui s'enroule et se déroule spontanément, assurant ainsi la tension du système au gré des déformations imposées. Ce comportement mécanique peut revêtir un intérêt particulier pour les connecteurs électroniques étirables mais la rigidité de fibres métalliques compromet l’enroulement élasto-capillaire. Cet obstacle est surmonté en apposant une fibre d’élastomère souple à la fibre fonctionnelle. Cette stratégie de la fibre auxiliaire souple facilite l’enroulement en renforçant les forces capillaires sans pour autant augmenter significativement la rigidité à la flexion globale de la fibre composite. Dans le cas de la goutte sur fibre simple, la dynamique d’enroulement et de déroulement est étudiée, et introduit une expérience originale pour l’étude de la dynamique de la ligne de contact. L’élasto-capillarité assure une étirabilité unidimensionnelle aux fibres élastiques fines présentées. Cette stratégie est étendue aux structures bidimensionnelles en imbibant une fine membrane fibreuse d’un liquide mouillant. Lorsque les bords de cette membrane imbibée sont rapprochés, la membrane solide se plisse au sein du film liquide et reste ainsi globalement droite. L’étude expérimentale et théorique de ce matériau hybride liquide-solide révèle un comportement à la fois solide et liquide : le film liquide apporte une tension de surface tandis que la membrane fibreuse solide assure l’inextensibilité. Finalement, le motif de flambage qu’exhibe la membrane imbibée lorsqu’elle est comprimée est analysé et interprété par un modèle théorique. / This PhD thesis focuses on the mechanical interactions between liquids and thin elastic structures. First, we study the mechanics of a liquid drop sitting on an undeformable horizontal fiber. We numerically and analytically investigate how capillarity and gravity affect the shape of drop and the forces it develops on the fiber. This understanding allows us to introduce a precise fiber-radius measurement technique, experimentally validated on micronic fibers. But capillary forces developed by drops are sometimes strong enough to deform thin elastic fibers. For example, upon compression of its ends, a spider capture silk fiber spontaneously buckles and spools inside water droplets naturally sitting on it. This elasto-capillary coiling provides the composite system with an apparent extreme extensibility as excess fiber is continuously spooled in or out of the liquid drop, thus ensuring tension throughout large deformations. This mechanical behavior could be of interest for stretchable electronic connectors but the stiffness of metallic fibers jeopardizes in-drop coiling. We overcome this limitation by attaching a beam of soft elastomer to the functional fiber. This soft auxiliary beam strategy favors coiling by enhancing capillary forces without significantly increasing the overall elastic bending rigidity of the composite fiber. We also study the coiling and uncoiling dynamics of the drop-on-a-single-fiber compound, presenting a novel experiment for the study of contact line dynamics.Elasto-capillarity with thin elastic fibers provides one-dimensional stretchability. This strategy is generalized to two-dimensional structures by infusing a thin free-standing fibrous membrane with a wetting liquid. When the boundaries of this wicked membrane are brought closer, the solid membrane wrinkles and folds inside the liquid film, and therefore remains globally flat. We experimentally and theoretically study the mechanical behavior of this hybrid liquid-solid material, its main feature lies in a mixed liquid-solid behavior: the liquid film provides surface tension while the solid fibrous membrane provides inextensibility. Finally, we analyze the buckling pattern displayed by the wicked membrane upon compression and propose a theoretical model recovering the main experimental features.

Interfacial adhesion and friction are significant factors in determining the reliability of small-scale mechanical devices such as with MEMS and the computer head/disk interface (HDI). As the interface spacing becomes smaller, operational failure via stiction has become a growing concern in these systems. Fundamentally, interface failure is related to mechanical instability of the interface caused by capillary effects. When liquid is present in a small-scale interface, large concave meniscus curvatures often develop at the liquid-vapor interface, leading to negative pressures in the liquid film and large tensile forces on the surfaces. When the elastic restoring force cannot balance the capillary force, the interface will lose its stability and collapse into intimate contact (jump-on). In addition, when the elastic bodies are then pulled away from contact, separation may occur suddenly and is related to another form of instability (jump-off). The jump-on and jump-off behaviors determine the strength of interfacial adhesion. In this study, the interaction between two elastic bodies coupled via a small liquid bridge was investigated. Geometries of two half-spaces and two sphere contact were considered. Stable equilibrium configurations were determined, and the mechanical stability of the interface was examined. Jump-on and jump-off conditions were given out. Then the theory was applied to study the approach and detachment processes of two elastic spheres in the presence of a liquid bridge. Critical values of the control variables at jump-on and jump-off were found. The pull-off force was calculated as a measure of interfacial adhesion. The results provide insight on some experimental data in the literature.

No description available.

Interactions between hydrophobic surfaces at short separation distances (at the nanometer scale) are very important in a number of industrial applications. For example, in the froth flotation mineral separation process it is the interaction between the hydrophobic particle and the bubble which is paramount in separating the valuable minerals from the gangue. A number of studies, most notably using the atomic force microscope (AFM) and the surface force apparatus (SFA) have found the existence of a long range hydrophobic attractive force between hydrophobic surfaces that cannot be explained by classical colloidal science theories. In many cases, this force is an artefact due to the accumulation of sub-microscopic bubbles, the so called nanobubbles, at the liquid-hydrophobic solid interface. Thus, what was thought to be a hydrophobic force was actually a capillary force resulting from the gaseous bridge formed from the coalescence of nanobubbles, that is, the nanobubble bridging capillary force (NBCF). It is the purpose of this thesis to provide further insight into the accumulation of soluble gases at the liquid-hydrophobic solid interface and the resulting NBCF. Specifically, this thesis studies these phenomena from a fundamental standpoint and additionally relates the findings to froth flotation mineral separation. A systematic method to measure the NBCF by controlling the size of the gaseous capillary bridge was devised in this thesis. Control of the capillary bridge was achieved by utilising the solvent-exchange method to accumulate nanobubbles at the surface, followed by surface scanning of the colloidal probe over the flat surface to harvest nanobubbles. Thus, the NBCF has been controlled to allow for greater success in modelling the interaction, understanding the geometric parameters of the bridge, observing changes in friction force due to nanobubbles and understanding the influence of ethanol on the force. An outcome of this thesis was the development of a capillary force model which describes the NBCF. The model considers a constant volume and constant contact angle assumption for a gaseous capillary bridge of toroidal geometry. The model was very successful in describing the NBCF at long separation distances (>20nm) for both the approach and retract interactions. The close fitting between the experimental data and the model allowed accurate determinations of the advancing and receding contact angles, bridge geometry and volume. The successful implementation of the capillary force model allowed a link between the bridge volume, and the resulting adhesion to the friction force between hydrophobic solid surfaces in water. Additionally, the model allowed the change from an attractive to a repulsive NBCF to be described by a change from a concave to convex bridge geometry. Thus, this thesis has added considerable knowledge to the fundamental aspects of nanobubbles and the NBCF. The final chapters of this thesis utilised the knowledge gained from the fundamental studies to understand the influence of nanobubbles on flotation. In the first study, the influence of NaCl concentration on the morphology of gaseous domains on a graphite surface is discussed in relation to the increased recovery of coal in saline water. In the second study, methanol treatment of a ZnS ore was found to increase the floatability due to slime removal and the artificial formation of nanobubbles.