The peak viscosity of decaying foam with natural drainage and coarsening

Studying the change in foam viscosity during foam decay, a spontaneous and inevitable process, is of fundamental and practical interest across many applications, ranging from the froth in a cup of coffee to the carbon sequestration in deep geological reservoirs. However, standard rheological measurements impose several experimental constraints, such as the narrow sample confinement and the long initial setup time, interfering with the natural conditions for foam decay. Here, we perform fast and in situ measurements on decaying foam immediately after its generation in a wide column, measuring the viscosity by vibrational probes and measuring the foam structure by optical imaging. We successfully capture the changes during the transition from the drainage-dominated stage to the coarsening-dominated stage. The viscosity reaches its maximum at the crossover point, elucidating the competing effects of drainage and coarsening. The viscosity peaks magnitude and position are influenced by the gas solubility and diffusion coefficient. The phenomena are quantitatively explained by the film-shearing model. Our findings provide the foundation for enhancing foam stability and performance, improving the efficiency of foam-based applications. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2024.