Measuring the Speed of Noble 'Bubbles'
Friday, February 12, 2010 - 12:42
in Physics & Chemistry
(PhysOrg.com) -- Using a layer of noble gas "bubbles," scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory devised a straightforward way to measure how fast molecules diffuse in supercooled liquids. Working at temperatures far below room temperature, the scientists placed a layer of krypton or argon atoms under the liquid, which was chilled to within a few degrees of freezing solid. Then, they measured how fast the atoms bubbled up to surface. Using this data, they calculated the diffusion through larger or macroscopic samples. To be able to do this, they used liquid films that were only 10-100 nanometers thick.