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Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
Dewetting of the three-phase contact line on solids
Xiaohua Fang1, Miguel Pimentel, Jonathan Sokolov
1Langmuir Center for Colloids and Interfaces, Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA. xf2106@columbia.edu
Abstract:
Liquid adsorption on a substrate has great applications in inkjet printing as well as micro/nano fabrication. In this letter, we focus on obtaining a better understanding of the pinning-dewetting phenomenon through solubility measurements during droplet evaporation. The physical adsorption/penetration of liquid on the substrate material is considered to be responsible for the pinning of the three-phase contact line. Once the adsorption surrounding the contact line reaches equilibrium, dewetting occurs and the droplet shrinks. The absorption kinetics of water molecules on different substrates was monitored. An analytical technique was developed to measure the threshold adsorption density of trace solvents on these substrates including different polymers, silicon, and gold.
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