Microscope activation near a wall during heterogeneous boiling

The chemical potential of the liquid near a flat surface was theoretically investigated to understand the surface effects on the inception process of nucleation in a boiling system. It was indicated that the liquid near a superheated surface has higher pressure than that in the bulk region owing to the existence of strong attractive force, and this pressure behavior maintains a stable liquid sublayer exactly on the surface. Both supersaturation and superheat near the wall were derived as the functions of the distance from the wall, and there is a critical length of supersaturation beyond the stable sublayer where the vapor embryo bubble is likely to generate. Finally, embryo bubble evolution was described employing the calculation of chemical potential difference.