Surface tension of water in the presence of perfluorocarbon vapors

Abstract

Fluorocarbons are highly hydrophobic, biocompatible compounds with a variety of medical applications. Despite significant interest, the study of interfacial properties of fluorocarbons in aqueous systems has received limited attention. In this study, we investigate the influence of perfluoropentane and perfluorohexane vapors on the surface tension of water at room temperature. The results show a substantial decrease in the surface tension of water in the presence of perfluorocarbon vapors. In the investigated range of partial pressures up to the saturation value, a linear correlation between the surface tension and the partial pressure was found. This suggests that an adsorbed perfluorocarbon layer is formed on the surface of water. For comparison, the effect of the perfluorocarbon vapor on the surface tension of methanol was also investigated and a similar dependence was observed. Our results indicate that the stability and dynamic transitions of fluorocarbon colloids, which may be dispersed under physiological conditions as microdroplets, bubbles, or their combination, are likely affected by the composition of liquid and gas phases.