Theoretical and experimental analysis of droplet evaporation on solid surfaces

The evaporation of sessile drops is central to a number of important processes, including printing, washing and coating. In this paper, the evaporation of water sessile droplets on hydrophobised silicon wafers and Teflon was analysed from theoretical and experimental perspectives. The contact angle, volume and base radius of the water droplets as a function of time were determined using tensiometry. The theoretical analysis showed different evaporative flux phenomena for acute and obtuse contact angles. The non-linear evolution of residual droplet volume, contact angle and base radius are solved and depend on the hydrophobicity of the solid surface and droplet dimension. Good agreement between the theoretical and experimental results was observed during pinning and depinning stages of evaporation. It was shown that the surface roughness, hydrophobicity and the contact angle hysteresis significantly influenced the evaporation of sessile drops and need to be considered when quantifying the evaporation process. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.