Nanoscale bubble study of cavitation inception on a platinum surface using molecular dynamics simulation

Abstract

The transient properties of liquid argon cavitation nuclei in platinum surface were studied by means of molecular dynamics simulation. The bubble nucleation, with a certain size and stability on the wall surface, was studied by different tensile distances and different wall wettabilities. Also the parameters of cavitation nuclei development, the system pressure, and the total pressure were analysed. The stability of cavitating nucleus growth is closely related to the metastable degree of the system and the wettability of the wall. The tensile distance of the wall surface has a critical value, and stretching greater than the critical value will induce a greater degree of instability in the system, which is conducive to the growth of the cavitation nucleus. A hydrophobic wall is more conducive to the growth of a cavitation nucleus, which is beneficial to spontaneous growth among cavitated nuclei, whereas a hydrophobic exerts has an inhibitory influence on cavitation nuclei.