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In this Letter, we show 3D steady-state trapping and manipulation of vapor bubbles in liquids employing a low-power continuous-wave laser using the Marangoni effect. Light absorption from photodeposited silver nanoparticles on the distal end of a multi-mode optical fiber is used to produce bubbles of different diameters. The thermal effects produced by either the nanoparticles on the fiber tip or the light bulk absorption modulate the surface tension of the bubble wall and creates both longitudinal and transversal forces just like optical forces, effectively creating a 3D potential well. Using numerical simulations, we obtain expressions for the temperature profiles and present analytical expressions for the Marangoni force. In addition, using an array of three fibers with photodeposited nanoparticles is used to demonstrate the transfer of bubbles from one fiber to another by sequentially switching on and off the lasers.

The most common approach to optically generate and manipulate bubbles in liquids involves temperature gradients induced by CW lasers. In this work, we present a method to accomplish both the generation of microbubbles and their 3D manipulation in ethanol through optothermal forces. These forces are triggered by light absorption from a nanosecond pulsed laser (λ = 532 nm) at silver nanoparticles photodeposited at the distal end of a multimode optical fiber. Light absorbed from each laser pulse quickly heats up the silver-ethanol interface beyond the ethanol critical-point (∼ 243 °C) before the heat diffuses through the liquid. Therefore, the liquid achieves a metastable state and owing to spontaneous nucleation converted to a vapor bubble attached to the optical fiber. The bubble grows with semi-spherical shape producing a counterjet in the final stage of the collapse. This jet reaches the hot nanoparticles vaporizing almost immediately and ejecting a microbubble. This microbubble-generation mechanism takes place with every laser pulse (10 kHz repetition rate) leading to the generation of a microbubbles stream. The microbubbles' velocities decrease as they move away from the optical fiber and eventually coalesce forming a larger bubble. The larger bubble is attracted to the optical fiber by the Marangoni force once it reaches a critical size while being continuously fed with each bubble of the microbubbles stream. The balance of the optothermal forces owing to the laser-pulse drives the 3D manipulation of the main bubble. A complete characterization of the trapping conditions is provided in this paper.