Spreading of liquid drops over porous substrates

The spreading of small liquid drops over thin and thick porous layers (dry or saturated with the same liquid) has been investigated in the case of both complete wetting (silicone oils of different viscosities) and partial wetting (aqueous SDS solutions of different concentrations). Nitrocellulose membranes of different porosity and different average pore size have been used as a model of thin porous layers, glass and metal filters have been used as a model of thick porous substrates. The first problem under investigation has been the spreading of small liquid drops over thin porous layers saturated with the same liquid. An evolution equation describing the drop spreading has been deduced, which showed that both an effective lubrication and the liquid exchange between the drop and the porous substrates are equally important. Spreading of silicone oils over different nitrocellulose microfiltration membranes was carried out. The experimental laws of the radius of spreading on time confirmed the theory predictions. The spreading of small liquid drops over thin dry porous layers has also been investigated from both theoretical and experimental points of view. The drop motion over a dry porous layer appears caused by the interplay of two processes: (a). the spreading of the drop over already saturated parts of the porous layer, which results in a growth of the drop base, and (b). the imbibition of the liquid from the drop into the porous substrate, which results in a shrinkage of the drop base and a growth of the wetted region inside the porous layer. As a result of these two competing processes the radius of the drop base goes through a maximum as time proceeds. A system of two differential equations has been derived to describe the time evolution of the radii of both the drop base and the wetted region inside the porous layer. This system includes two parameters, one accounts for the effective lubrication coefficient of the liquid over the wetted porous substrate, and the other is a combination of permeability and effective capillary pressure inside the porous layer. Two additional experiments were used for an independent determination of these two parameters. The system of differential equations does not include any fitting parameter after these two parameters were determined. Experiments were carried out on the spreading of silicone oil drops over various dry nitrocellulose microfiltration membranes (permeable in both normal and tangential directions). The time evolution of the radii of both the drop base and the wetted region inside the porous layer was monitored. In agreement with our theory all experimental data fell on two universal curves if appropriate scales were used with a plot of the dimensionless radii of the drop base and of the wetted region inside the porous layer using a dimensionless time scale. Theory predicts that (a). the dynamic contact angle dependence on the dimensionless time should be a universal function, (b). the dynamic contact angle should change rapidly over an initial short stage of spreading and should remain a constant value over the duration of the rest of the spreading process. The constancy of the contact angle on this stage has nothing to do with hysteresis of the contact angle: there is no hysteresis in our system. These predictions are in the good agreement with our experimental observations. In the case of spreading of liquid drops over thick porous substrates (complete wetting) the spreading process goes in two similar stages as in the case of thin porous substrates. In this case also both the drop base and the radii of the wetted area on the surface of the porous substrates were monitored. Spreading of oil drops (with a wide range of viscosities) on dry porous substrates having similar porosity and average pore size shows universal behavior as in the case of thin porous substrates. However, the spreading behavior on porous substrates having different average pore sizes deviates from the universal behavior. Yet, even in this case the dynamic contact angle remains constant over the duration of the second stage of spreading as in the case of spreading on thin porous substrates. Finally, experimental observations of the spreading of aqueous SDS solution over nitrocellulose membranes were carried out (case of partial wetting). The time evolution of the radii of both the drop base and the wetted area inside the porous substrate was monitored. The total duration of the spreading process was subdivided into three stages: in the first stage the drop base growths until a maximum value is reached. The contact angle rapidly decreases during this stage; in the second stage the radius of the drop base remains constant and the contact angle decreases linearly with time; finally in the third stage the drop base shrinks while the contact angle remains constant. The wetted area inside the porous substrate expands during the whole spreading process. Appropriate scales were used to have a plot of the dimensionless radii of the drop base, of the wetted area inside the porous substrate, and the dynamic contact angle vs. the dimensionless time. Our experimental data show: the overall time of the spreading of drops of SDS solutions over dry thin porous substrates decreases with the increase of surfactant concentration; the difference between advancing and hydrodynamic receding contact angles decreases with the surfactant concentration increase; the constancy of the contact angle during the third stage of spreading has nothing to do with the hysteresis of contact angle, but determined by the hydrodynamics. Using independent spreading experiments of the same drops on a non-porous nitrocellulose substrate we have shown that the static receding contact angle is equal to zero, which supports our conclusion on the hydrodynamic nature of the hydrodynamic receding contact angle on porous substrates.