The role of surfactant in mass transfer through the liquid-gas interface

The work deals with the problem of hydrodynamic stability in liquid systems containing surfactants. The detailed analysis was focused on a thin liquid film with an adsorbed monolayer. In this system, the interface undergoes a tangential stress due to the surface tension gradient promoted by a moving barrier. A simplified mathematical model of the system hydrodynamics showe d that the flow instability (cell convection) could be observed for certain values of parameters characterized by the critical value of the Reynolds n umber. This instability also leads to the change of mass transfer mechanism . Some experimental evidence of this effect was found From the Langmuir bal ance studies. The described phenomenon can be responsible for efficient mas s transfer in some technological and biological surfactant-liquid systems.