Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 26, 2026
08:01
A Microfluidic Approach for the Study of Ice and Clathrate Hydrate Crystallization
Published on: August 18, 2022
3.6K
Tailoring crack morphology in coffee-ring deposits via substrate heating
Hisay Lama1, Madivala G Basavaraj, Dillip K Satapathy
1Soft Materials Laboratory, Department of Physics, IIT Madras, Chennai-600036, India. dks@iitm.ac.in.
Soft Matter
|July 18, 2017
Summary
Substrate temperature significantly influences colloidal drop drying. Higher temperatures (above 45 °C) promote ordered, periodic crack patterns in deposits, unlike lower temperatures which yield disordered cracks.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Fluid Dynamics
- Surface Chemistry
Background:
- Drying of colloidal drops leads to stress and crack formation in particulate deposits.
- The morphology of these cracks is crucial for understanding material properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of substrate temperature on crack morphology during colloidal drop drying.
- To elucidate the mechanisms governing deposit pattern formation at different temperatures.
Main Methods:
- Controlled drying experiments of sessile colloidal drops at varying substrate temperatures (Tsub).
- Microscopic analysis of crack patterns and deposit morphology.
- Analysis of particle deposition and solvent flow dynamics.
Main Results:
- Crack morphology transitions from disordered at Tsub = 25 °C to ordered and periodic at Tsub > 45 °C.
- Deposit patterns differ based on temperature, influenced by solvent flow and capillary forces.
- A scaling relationship (w/R ~ φ^0.5) was observed for coffee-ring deposits at Tsub ≤ 45 °C.
Conclusions:
- Substrate temperature is a critical parameter controlling crack formation and deposit patterns in drying colloidal films.
- Higher temperatures favor ordered cracks due to altered solvent flow and particle capture by the receding liquid-vapor interface.
