Dynamical model for the formation of patterned deposits at receding contact lines

TL;DR

This paper presents a dynamical model explaining how patterned deposits form at receding contact lines in volatile suspensions, highlighting the role of pinning-depinning cycles and their dependence on evaporation and concentration.

Contribution

The paper introduces a long-wave approximation model that predicts self-organized line pattern formation during contact line recession in volatile suspensions.

Findings

Pattern types depend on evaporation rate and solute concentration.

The model captures both irregular and regular line deposit patterns.

Pinning-depinning cycles drive the stick-slip motion leading to pattern formation.

Abstract

We describe the formation of deposition patterns that are observed in many different experiments where a three-phase contact line of a volatile nanoparticle suspension or polymer solution recedes. A dynamical model based on a long-wave approximation predicts the deposition of irregular and regular line patterns due to self-organised pinning-depinning cycles corresponding to a stick-slip motion of the contact line. We analyze how the line pattern properties depend on the evaporation rate and solute concentration.