Molecular Weight-Dependent Evaporation Dynamics and Morphology of PEG Sessile Drops on Hydrophobic Substrates

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: An, Feiyu, Ye, Junyi, Tan, Huanshu
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author An, Feiyu
Ye, Junyi
Tan, Huanshu
author_facet An, Feiyu
Ye, Junyi
Tan, Huanshu
contents The evaporation dynamics of sessile drops are crucial for material deposition in applications like inkjet printing and pharmaceutical development. However, the evaporation behavior of high molecular weight polymer solutions and their impact on deposit morphology and flow fields are not well understood. This study investigates the evaporation dynamics and deposit morphology of polyethylene glycol (PEG) solution drops on hydrophobic substrates, with molecular weights ranging from 200 to 1000k g/mol, covering five orders of magnitude. The results show that vapor diffusion dominates the evaporation process across all PEG molecular weights. Using image analysis and micro-particle image velocimetry ($μ$-PIV), we reveal that molecular weight affects contact line dynamics and internal flow, leading to diverse deposit morphologies, including spherical caps, pillars, pool-shaped disks, and flat disks. Transient divergence and Péclet number calculations further confirm the role of hydrodynamics in deposit formation. These findings provide insights into the hydrodynamic and thermodynamic factors governing evaporation in polymeric sessile drops, with implications for material fabrication and the development of inkjet printing and coating techniques.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_07372
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Molecular Weight-Dependent Evaporation Dynamics and Morphology of PEG Sessile Drops on Hydrophobic Substrates
An, Feiyu
Ye, Junyi
Tan, Huanshu
Soft Condensed Matter
The evaporation dynamics of sessile drops are crucial for material deposition in applications like inkjet printing and pharmaceutical development. However, the evaporation behavior of high molecular weight polymer solutions and their impact on deposit morphology and flow fields are not well understood. This study investigates the evaporation dynamics and deposit morphology of polyethylene glycol (PEG) solution drops on hydrophobic substrates, with molecular weights ranging from 200 to 1000k g/mol, covering five orders of magnitude. The results show that vapor diffusion dominates the evaporation process across all PEG molecular weights. Using image analysis and micro-particle image velocimetry ($μ$-PIV), we reveal that molecular weight affects contact line dynamics and internal flow, leading to diverse deposit morphologies, including spherical caps, pillars, pool-shaped disks, and flat disks. Transient divergence and Péclet number calculations further confirm the role of hydrodynamics in deposit formation. These findings provide insights into the hydrodynamic and thermodynamic factors governing evaporation in polymeric sessile drops, with implications for material fabrication and the development of inkjet printing and coating techniques.
title Molecular Weight-Dependent Evaporation Dynamics and Morphology of PEG Sessile Drops on Hydrophobic Substrates
topic Soft Condensed Matter
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.07372