Coupling between wetting dynamics, Marangoni vortices, and localized hot cells in drops of volatile binary solutions

A sessile drop comprising a mixture of volatile solvents supports spatial variations in interfacial energy, which gives rise to solutal Marangoni flow, alongside evaporative loss of drop mass. Both the Marangoni flow and evaporation bring about a dance of concurrent and inter-connected phenomena: internal Marangoni vortices, localized hot cells, and complex wetting dynamics.

We employ Particle Image Velocimetry and Infra-Red Microscopy to visualize Marangoni vortices, temperature variations, and the wetting dynamics of drops of toluene and ethanol mixtures.

The intensity of the measured phenomena vary concurrently in time and in like manner according with the initial composition of drops. In particular, we observe maximum intensity levels when the initial toluene proportion in the drops is 60%, and none of these phenomena in the case of pure toluene. Moreover, the drops initially expand on the solid in response to Marangoni flow, then contract due to evaporation; between these dynamic wetting regimes, we further observe a regime of one or periodic wetting/de-wetting cycles at low toluene concentrations. Our findings indicate that both the solutal Marangoni flow and evaporation drive the different phenomena we observe and confirm the connection between Marangoni vortices and the formation of localized hot cells.