Observation of chemiluminescence induced by hydrodynamic cavitation in microchannels.

We have performed hydrodynamic cavitation experiments with an aqueous luminol solution as the working fluid. Light emission, together with the high frequency noise which characterizes cavitation, was emitted by the two-phase flow, whereas no light emission from luminol was recorded in the single phase liquid flow. Light emission occurs downstream transparent microdiaphragms. The maximum level of the recorded signal was around 180 photons per second with flow rates of 380 µl/s, that corresponds to a real order of magnitude of the chemiluminescence of 75,000 photons per second. The yield of emitted photons increases linearly with the pressure drop, which is proportional to the square of the total flow rate. Chemiluminescence of luminol is a direct and a quantitative demonstration of the presence of OH hydroxyl radicals created by hydrodynamic cavitation. The presented method could be a key to optimize channel geometry for processes where radical production is essential.