Nanoscale study of boiling and evaporation in a liquid Ar film on a Pt heater using molecular dynamics simulation

Molecular dynamics simulations have been conducted to understand the mechanism for bubble formation on a platinum substrate with particular emphasis on the surface texture. Liquid Argon, that follows the model of Lennard-Jones fluids, is the fluid of interest. The nano-sized bubbles are formed under different degree of superheat and surface conditions. The bubble nucleation and vapor film formation show dependence on the degree of superheat and solid-liquid interfacial wettability. A bubble does not form easily on a non-wetting surface. It is easy to nucleate a bubble on a smooth surface for higher degree of superheats. The hydrophilic surfaces provide favorable conditions for bubble nucleation and formation of vapor films.