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Tuning Contact Line Dynamics and Deposition Patterns in Volatile Liquid Mixtures
Asher P Mouat1, Clay E Wood1, Justin E Pye1
1Department of Physics, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|February 29, 2020
Summary
Adding a nonvolatile liquid to a volatile liquid changes how it spreads and dries. Two distinct patterns emerge: fingerlike instabilities or pearl-like drops, depending on Marangoni forces and wetting properties.
Area of Science:
- Fluid dynamics
- Surface science
- Materials science
Background:
- The spreading dynamics of pure volatile liquids on wettable substrates are well-understood.
- The influence of additives on these spreading behaviors is less explored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how adding a miscible, nonvolatile liquid affects the contact line dynamics and deposition patterns of a spreading volatile liquid.
- To identify the key parameters governing these altered behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Experimental study of liquid spreading on a solid substrate.
- Systematic variation of solute concentration and contact angles.
- Observation and analysis of resulting deposition patterns and instabilities.
Main Results:
- Two distinct regimes of liquid spreading and deposition were observed.
- Regime 1 (large solutal Marangoni forces, small solute contact angles): Fingerlike instabilities leading to submicron film deposition.
- Regime 2 (small solutal Marangoni forces, large solute contact angles): Isolated drops forming quasicrystalline patterns.
Conclusions:
- Miscible, nonvolatile additives significantly alter volatile liquid spreading and deposition.
- Solutal Marangoni forces and solute contact angle are critical in determining the final pattern.
- The observed phenomena can be controlled by tuning the solute's wetting properties.
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