An estimate of the ultimate tensile strength of water

Sedgewick, S A; Trevena, D H

doi:10.1088/0022-3727/9/18/002

Cited by 11 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Bubbles in negative pressure systems most likely do not form through homogenous nucleation, because pure water has great tensile strength and can withstand negative pressures down to below 222 MPa under highly controlled stationary conditions (Dixon, 1914a;Briggs, 1950;Sedgewick and Trevena, 1976;Wheeler and Stroock, 2009;Chen et al, 2016). Bubbles are much more likely to form through heterogenous nucleation on particles or rough and hydrophobic surfaces (Crum, 1982;Wheeler and Stroock, 2009;Hedges and Whitelam, 2012;Rasmussen et al, 2012;Cho et al, 2015).…”

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confidence: 99%

Xylem Surfactants Introduce a New Element to the Cohesion-Tension Theory

et al. 2016

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Vascular plants transport water under negative pressure without constantly creating gas bubbles that would disable their hydraulic systems. Attempts to replicate this feat in artificial systems almost invariably result in bubble formation, except under highly controlled conditions with pure water and only hydrophilic surfaces present. In theory, conditions in the xylem should favor bubble nucleation even more: there are millions of conduits with at least some hydrophobic surfaces, and xylem sap is saturated or sometimes supersaturated with atmospheric gas and may contain surface-active molecules that can lower surface tension. So how do plants transport water under negative pressure? Here, we show that angiosperm xylem contains abundant hydrophobic surfaces as well as insoluble lipid surfactants, including phospholipids, and proteins, a composition similar to pulmonary surfactants. Lipid surfactants were found in xylem sap and as nanoparticles under transmission electron microscopy in pores of intervessel pit membranes and deposited on vessel wall surfaces. Nanoparticles observed in xylem sap via nanoparticle-tracking analysis included surfactant-coated nanobubbles when examined by freeze-fracture electron microscopy. Based on their fracture behavior, this technique is able to distinguish between dense-core particles, liquid-filled, bilayer-coated vesicles/liposomes, and gas-filled bubbles. Xylem surfactants showed strong surface activity that reduces surface tension to low values when concentrated as they are in pit membrane pores. We hypothesize that xylem surfactants support water transport under negative pressure as explained by the cohesion-tension theory by coating hydrophobic surfaces and nanobubbles, thereby keeping the latter below the critical size at which bubbles would expand to form embolisms.

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confidence: 99%

Xylem Surfactants Introduce a New Element to the Cohesion-Tension Theory

et al. 2016

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“…1 ( aT) >0 (2) as I',V ' ( aT) >0 (3) as P, N ' (af-t) >0 aN P,S ' (4) (af-t) >0 aN T,V ' (5) (ap) <0 av T,N ' (6) (ap) <0 av I',S ' (7) all of which are violated simultaneously along a spinodal curve, the latter being the locus oflimits of stability. Because all of the inequalities [i.e., Eqs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tension can be produced in a liquid in many different ways, among which we cite Berthelot tube methods,2 dynamic stressing, 3 centrifugation, 4 and acoustic stressing S (this enumeration is only indicative, and by no means exhaustive). In such experimental studies the objective is to approach the limit of stability in order to determine, as accurately as possible, the substance's tensile strength at the experimental temperature.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the nature of the tensile instability in metastable liquids and its relationship to density anomalies

Debenedetti

D’Antonio

1986

The Journal of Chemical Physics

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Comparison of the pseudospinodal to the transition from metastability to instability in a binaryliquid mixture J. Chem. Phys. 94, 8630 (1991); 10.1063/1.460050Erratum: On the nature of the tensile instability in metastable liquids and its relationship to density anomalies [J.Tensile instability is a hitherto unexplained phenomenon whereby a metastable liquid loses tensile strength as the temperature is reduced in the vicinity of its triple point. The thermodynamically consistent behavior which must be exhibited by any liquid in the vicinity of a tensile instability displays a variety of unusual phenomena: nonanalytic density maxima, spinodal retracing, and density anomalies (negative thermal expansion coefficient) in the vicinity of the spinodal curve. Loss of tensile strength implies (and is inseparable from) density anomalies in the vicinity of the spinodal curve. This important conclusion is derived here from first principles.

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“…In order to create a vapor bubble, the stress within the liquid has to be larger than the tensile strength of the liquid, which is of the order of 10 7 Pa for pure water (61). However, in nonpure water (tap water, distilled water), there are often tiny pockets (cavitation nuclei) with entrapped gas on surfaces of walls or particles, from which it is much easier to grow bubbles (a process called heterogeneous cavitation), as only the ambient pressure of 10 5 Pa (plus the vapor pressure of 10 3 Pa) has to be overcome (59).…”

Section: Cavitationmentioning

confidence: 99%