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Nanobubbles in Aqueous Systems: Generation, Magnetic-Field Interactions, and Electrokinetic Stabilisation

A Special Issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441) belonging to the section "Hydraulics and Hydrodynamics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2027 | Viewed by 68

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Wetsus European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, Oostergoweg 9, 8911 MA Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
Interests: water physics; electrohydrodynamics; water coherence; field–matter interactions; sustainable water technology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bulk nanobubbles are attracting increasing interest in water treatment, mineral processing, resource recovery, and other aqueous technologies; yet, scalable generation and long-term stability remain debated. This Special Issue invites contributions on hydrodynamic, magnetic, and electrokinetic mechanisms that govern nanobubble generation, transport, charging, and stability in water systems. Particular attention will be given to vortex- and cavitation-based generation methods, swirl and stirred-tank reactors, magnetic-field-assisted processes, electrical double-layer effects, zeta potential, ion transport, gas–liquid interfaces, and multiphysics modelling.

We welcome experimental, numerical, and theoretical studies, including CFD, magnetostatic and electrokinetic simulations, reactor design, characterisation methods, applications in water and wastewater treatment, mineral processing, membrane systems, contaminant removal, and sustainable process intensification. Review articles that critically evaluate mechanisms, measurement challenges, stability theories, and scale-up opportunities are also encouraged.

By bringing together research from water technology, fluid mechanics, colloid science, electrochemistry, and process engineering, this Special Issue aims to advance mechanistic understanding and practical implementation of nanobubble-based and field-assisted technologies in aqueous systems.

Dr. Elmar C. Fuchs
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • nanobubbles
  • vortex flow
  • magnetic fields
  • electrokinetics
  • CFD
  • water treatment
  • multiphysics modeling
  • gas–liquid interfaces
  • zeta potential
  • process intensification

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

22 pages, 676 KB  
Article
A Quantum Electrodynamical Model of Magnetic Nanobubble Stabilization in Water
by Elmar C. Fuchs, Zahra Taghavi Zinjenab and Thomas Warmann
Water 2026, 18(18), 2271; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18182271 (registering DOI) - 12 Sep 2026
Abstract
This work describes the formation of electrically charged nanobubbles and collective electrodynamical ordering in liquid water based upon the framework of the quantum electrodynamical theories of Del Giudice, Preparata, Vitiello and their co-workers. Nanobubbles with experimentally observed negative zeta potentials are predicted to [...] Read more.
This work describes the formation of electrically charged nanobubbles and collective electrodynamical ordering in liquid water based upon the framework of the quantum electrodynamical theories of Del Giudice, Preparata, Vitiello and their co-workers. Nanobubbles with experimentally observed negative zeta potentials are predicted to generate interfacial electric fields on the order of 105–106 V m−1, comparable to field strengths previously associated with collective vibrational coupling in electrically stressed water. The model addresses magnetic stabilization of the electrically induced vibronically coupled interfacial state, while the observed changes in nanobubble size and number are discussed within the broader framework, including a hypothesized preconditioning effect of the dynamically varying magnetic field on nanobubble formation. Under these conditions, regions of enhanced collective coupling of vibronic modes around a nanobubble with characteristic thicknesses of approximately 9.6–52.5 nm become physically plausible. Furthermore, a phenomenological Landau-type free-energy model is used to investigate the influence of external magnetic fields on the process. We suggest that magnetic fields primarily couple to the low-energy protonic and vibronic modes within this shell. These theoretical predictions are qualitatively consistent with recent experimental observations showing stronger negative zeta potentials, and higher nanobubble concentrations under the influence of magnetic fields, together with smaller characteristic nanobubble radii under an alternating field configuration. Our results support the interpretation that magnetic fields stabilize electrically induced mesoscopic coupling of vibronic modes that emerge transiently during cavitation-driven nanobubble formation. Full article
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