The physical properties of small gas bubbles in soft elastic materials: theory and applications

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Soft elastic materials have a degree of rigidity, and consequently a degree of intrinsic shape. They have fundamentally different properties from ordinary liquids such as liquid water, which have no rigidity or intrinsic shape (liquids are said to "take the shape of their container"). Examples of such soft materials include magma, soft rubber, "Jello", and soft tissues in the body. Unlike ordinary liquids, soft elastic materials can partially stabilize small gas bubbles suspended in them, giving the bubbles a longer lifetime than they would otherwise have. Simple liquids stabilize only large bubbles, in order to minimize surface tension effects. The tendency of soft elastic materials to partially stabilize small gas bubbles is relevant to the problem of Decompression Sickness (DCS) that can occur in scuba diving, aviation, and space exploration.