Impact of nanoscopic impurity aggregates on cavitation in water

The stability of water against cavitation under negative pressures is a phenomenon known for considerable discrepancies between theoretical predictions and experimental observations. Using a combination of molecular dynamics simulations and classical nucleation theory, we explore how nanoscopic hydrocarbon droplets influence cavitation in water. Our findings reveal that while a macroscopic volume of absolutely pure water withstands around − 120 MPa of tension, introducing a single nanoscopic oil droplet, merely a few nanometers in radius, brings this cavitation threshold to around − 30 MPa, closely matching the values typically observed in highly controlled experiments. The unavoidable presence of nanoscopic hydrophobic impurities, even in highly purified water used in experiments, imposes a practical limit on achieving the theoretical tensile strength in realistic settings. More broadly, our study highlights the profound impact of nonpolar residues on nucleation phenomena and enhances our understanding of metastability in real-world systems. • Pure water can theoretically withstand pressures down to –120 MPa. • Cavitation pressure threshold of water increases with nanoscale hydrophobic impurities. • Even a single nanoscopic oil droplet increases water’s cavitation threshold. • Real-world cavitation threshold is typically limited to about –30 MPa.