Foam stability in microgravity

Within the context of the ESA FOAM project, we have studied the stability of aqueous and non-aqueous foams both on Earth and in microgravity. Foams are dispersions of gas into liquid or solid. On Earth, the lifetime of a foam is limited by the free drainage. By drainage, we are referring to the irreversible flow of liquid through the foam (leading to the accumulation of liquid at the foam bottom, and to a global liquid content decreases within the foam). When the liquid films become thinner, they eventually break, and the foam collapses. In microgravity, this process is no more present and foams containing large amounts of liquid can be studied for longer time. While the difference between foaming and not-foaming solutions is clear, the case of slightly-foaming solutions is more complicated. On Earth, such mixtures are observed to produce unstable froth for a couple of seconds. However, these latter solutions may produce foam in microgravity. We have studied both configurations for different solutions composed of common surfactant, proteins, anti-foaming agents or silicon oil. Surprising results have been obtained, emphasizing the role played by gravity on the foam stabilization process.