Blowing bubbles in space

[MBobrik]

Blowing bubbles in space would require only minimum amount of gas, and in zero gravity and with nothing sharp around they could be pretty durable.

But water evaporates quickly in vacuum so the bubble would not last a fraction of a second.

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Now the question. Is there any way to prevent it ? Perhaps a different surfactant/liquid combination that has effectively zero vapor pressure,

or perhaps some additive, something like saturating it with deliquescent salts that would keep the water inside.

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Any ideas ?

[Blue]

Using non-water based bubble formula, such as the purple oceans on Eve.

Purple would probably make great bubbles.

[K^2]

Yes, there are liquids with, effectively, zero vapor pressure. Specifically, ionic liquids would be absolutely perfect for this. They are frequently used for lubrication in low pressure situations. It can take a very long time to evaporate away even in vacuum. Of course, I don't know what the possible temperature ranges are, and that could be a problem. They also have pretty high surface tension, so you might be able to get away with making a bubble from just the ionic liquid. But you might have to add something to make it work better as a "soap bubble". I don't think that something woulda ctually be soap, though, since ionic liquids are very different from water in their properties, and I don't think soap will form bilayers just the same way with one.

[bivouac]

Beyond evaporation, the surface tension of water (or soapy water for that matter) wouldn't be strong enough to contain the gas in a vacuum. The bubble would burst from its own internal pressure independently of evaporation. You would need to use a liquid with an unusually high surface tension to maintain the bubble.

What you would want to check out would be a material that can maintain a liquid state in a vacuum. Phase diagrams are useful for this kind of information. Essentially, you want something that stays liquid in the presence of a vacuum, regardless of temperature. If the surface tension is strong enough, evaporation may be negated.

[MBobrik]

Yes, there are liquids with, effectively, zero vapor pressure. Specifically, ionic liquids would be absolutely perfect for this. They are frequently used for lubrication in low pressure situations. It can take a very long time to evaporate away even in vacuum. Of course, I don't know what the possible temperature ranges are, and that could be a problem. They also have pretty high surface tension, so you might be able to get away with making a bubble from just the ionic liquid. But you might have to add something to make it work better as a "soap bubble". I don't think that something woulda ctually be soap, though, since ionic liquids are very different from water in their properties, and I don't think soap will form bilayers just the same way with one.

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As I just found out, there are different compounds that act as surfactants for ionic liquids. So ionic liquids would be definitely a way to go.