Confined colloidal droplets dry to form circular mazes

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Beechey-Newman, Ilaria; Kizilova, Natalya; Hennig, Andreas Andersen; Flekkoy, Eirik Crude; Eiser, Erika
• 署名单位: Norwegian University of Science & Technology (NTNU); Warsaw University of Technology; University of Oslo; Norwegian University of Science & Technology (NTNU); University of Cambridge
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-9608
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2508363122
• 发表日期: 2025-08-12
• 关键词: evaporation; ring

摘要

During drying, particle-laden sessile droplets will leave so-called coffee-stain rings behind. This phenomenon is well known and well understood (Deegan et al., Nature 389, 827-829 (1997). Here, we show that when particle-laden droplets confined in a slit are allowed to evaporate very slowly, they do not deposit coffee rings, but form surprisingly intricate, circular maze-like patterns. We present experiments that illustrate this pattern formation and discuss the factors that determine when such patterns can form. We are not aware of reports of natural examples of the formation of such beautiful patterns under confinement, although it seems likely that they exist.