Dynamics of complete wetting liquid under evaporation

The dynamics of a contact line under evaporation and total-wetting conditions is studied taking into account van der Waals interactions and the divergent nature of evaporation near the border of the liquid. The existence of a precursor film at the edge of the liquid is shown analytically and numerically. Its length is controlled by the Hamacker constant and evaporative flux. Past the precursor film, Tanner's law is generalized accounting for evaporative effects. Copyright (C) EPLA, 2010