Don’t we all love bubbles and wouldn’t it be great if we had unbreakable bubbles? There’s a reason why children go crazy for them, and why artists throughout history have placed bubbles in their art. They’re beautiful with all their colors, seem to defy natural laws, and are unpredictable.
The only downside with bubbles is that they don’t last long, on average less than a minute. However, scientists have actually managed to create an unbreakable bubble. Well, it’s not entirely unbreakable, but it lasted 465 days!
How do bubbles work?
A bubble is simply air trapped or wrapped in soap film. It’s usually made from soap and water, but can be made of other liquids as well. The surface of the bubble consists of soap molecules and water, which together holds the air wrapped.
Fun fact: When it’s cold outside, the molecules take longer to leave and the bubble will last longer. A normal bubble could last for several minutes on a cold day outside!
Now, let’s move on to the cool everlasting/unbreakable bubble.
Who created this unbreakable bubble?
The bubbles was created by scientists at the University of Lille in 2021, in this study. They call them “everlasting bubbles”.
How did they create it?
The scientists of this study didn’t use normal soap for this, but rather composite liquid film. Now, here’s how it works.
Normal bubbles are usually made of soap and are fragile and break because of:
- Gravity
- Evaporation of liquid (the water on the surface evaporates)
- Presence of nuclei
- Diffusion of the inner gas
But the composite liquid film, however, neutralizes all these effects, which makes bubbles that last for more than 1 year!
What can these bubbles be used for?
These types of bubbles that are more durable and last longer could for example be used in medicine, different products, as well as in art. They could also of course be used simply for my (and your) entertainment!
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