Adsorption of bulk nanobubbles on the chemically surface-modified muscovite minerals

Bulk nanobubbles (NBs) that are produced in the hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) process have been widely applied in mineral flotation for more than a decade, while how bulk NBs interact with minerals in the water-solid interface is still unclear. In this study, the adsorption behaviors of bulk NBs generated in the principle of HC on muscovite surfaces in the presence of dodecylamine (DDA) were investigated. The results show that NBs are likely coated with DDA in aqueous solutions. After attaching with muscovite, bulk NBs can adsorb on the mineral surfaces, probably following the three-contact line pinning theory. The adsorption of NBs increases the surface hydrophobicity of minerals, which can be inferred from the larger contact angles and the better flotation performances obtained in the presence of DDA/NBs. In addition, the adsorption of NBs is thought to be able to prevent the adsorption of DDA on the same space of the solid surfaces, which can be confirmed by the results of zeta potential measurements, contact angle measurements and AFM imaging results.