Rolling and Sliding Modes of Nanodroplet Spreading: Molecular Simulations and a Continuum Approach
Sreehari Perumanath, Mykyta V. Chubynsky, Rohit Pillai, Matthew K. Borg, James E. Sprittles
Abstract
Molecular simulations discover a new mode of dynamic wetting that manifests itself in the very earliest stages of spreading, after a droplet contacts a solid. The observed mode is a "rolling" type of motion, characterized by a contact angle lower than the classically assumed value of 180°, and precedes the conventional "sliding" mode of spreading. This motivates the development of a novel continuum framework that captures all modes of motion, allows the dominant physical mechanisms to be understood, and permits the study of larger droplets.
Topics & Concepts
WettingPhysicsMode (computer interface)Classical mechanicsMolecular dynamicsMotion (physics)Solid surfaceMechanicsStatistical physicsChemical physicsComputer scienceQuantum mechanicsThermodynamicsOperating systemSurface Modification and SuperhydrophobicityForce Microscopy Techniques and ApplicationsElectrohydrodynamics and Fluid Dynamics