Electrode-normal magnetic field facilitating neighbouring electrochemical bubble release from hydrophobic islets

This paper gives an experimental study on electrochemical hydrogen bubble evolution at electrode surface partially covered with hydrophobic materials under electrode-normal magnetic field. Base on the method of photoetching and electrochemical co-deposition (PECD), the electrode partially covered with nickel–polytetrafluoroethylene (Ni-PTFE) materials is prepared to generate the controlled hydrogen bubble at specified islet. The anchored bubble evolution at hydrophobic islet is observed under magnetic field. Experimental results show that the hydrogen bubble release from the hydrophobic site is relatively random. Although it is not found that the obvious influence of micro-magnetohydrodynamic convection (MMHDC) on the single bubble release from isolated hydrophobic islet, MMHDC exactly plays the role of facilitating pair of bubbles releases from neighbouring hydrophobic islands. The new developed explanation of the mechanism of MMHDC influence on electrochemical bubble release has been given based on the method of numerical simulation.