Surface nanobubbles nucleate microdroplets

When a hydrophobic solid is in contact with water, surface nanobubbles often form at the interface. They have a lifetime many orders of magnitude longer than expected. Here, we show that they even withstand a temperature increase to temperatures close to the boiling point of bulk water; i.e., they do not nucleate larger bubbles ("superstability"). On the contrary, when the vapor-liquid contact line passes a nanobubble, a liquid film remains around it, which, after pinch-off, results in a microdroplet in which the nanobubbles continue to exist. Finally, the microdroplet evaporates and the nanobubble consequently bursts. Our results support that pinning plays a crucial role for nanobubble stability.