Evaporative deposition in receding drops
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Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Exploring the Effects of Atmospheric Forcings on Evaporation: Experimental Integration of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Shallow Subsurface
Published on: June 8, 2015
1Department of Physics, The James Franck Institute, University of Chicago, 929 E 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. jfreedbrown@uchicago.edu.
Abstract:
We present a framework for calculating the surface density profile of a stain deposited by a drop with a receding contact line. Unlike a pinned drop, a receding drop pushes fluid towards its interior, continuously deposits mass across its substrate as it evaporates, and does not produce the usual "coffee ring." For a thin, circular drop with a uniform evaporation rate, we find the surface density of the stain goes as η(r) ∝ ((r/a0)(-1/2)-r/a0), where r is the radius from the drop center and a0 is the initial outer radius. Under these conditions, the deposited stain has a mountain-like morphology. Our framework can easily be extended to investigate new stain morphologies left by drying drops.
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