Evaporation of a Droplet: From physics to applications

Publication date: Available online 15 February 2019Source: Physics ReportsAuthor(s): Duyang Zang, Sujata Tarafdar, Yuri Yu. Tarasevich, Moutushi Dutta Choudhury, Tapati DuttaAbstractEvaporation of a drop, though a simple everyday observation, provides a fascinating subject for study. Various issues interact here, such as dynamics of the contact line, evaporation-induced phase transitions, and formation of patterns. The explanation of the rich variety of patterns formed is not only an academic challenge, but also a problem of practical importance, as applications are growing in medical diagnosis and improvement of coating/printing technology. The multi-scale aspect of the problem is emphasized in this review. The specific fundamental problem to be solved, related to the system is the investigation of the mass transfer processes, the formation and evolution of phase fronts and the identification of mechanisms of pattern formation. To understand these problems, we introduce the important forces and interactions involved in these processes, and highlight the evaporation-driven phase transitions and flows in the drop. We focus on how the deposited patterns are related to and tuned by important factors, for instance substrate properties and contents of the drop. In addition, the formation of crust and crack patterns are discussed. The simulation and modeling methods, which are often utilized in this topic, are also reviewed. Finally, we summarize the applications of drop evaporatio...

Source: Physics Reports - February 16, 2019 Category: Physics Source Type: research