Role of entrapped vapor bubbles during microdroplet evaporation

Abstract

On superheated surfaces, the air bubble trapped during impingement grows into a larger vapor bubble and oscillates at the frequency predicted for thermally induced capillary waves. In some cases, the entrapped vapor bubble penetrates the droplet interface, leaving a micron-sized coffee-ring pattern of pure fluid. Vapor bubble entrapment, however, does not influence the evaporation rate. This is also true on laser heated surfaces, where a laser can thermally excite capillary waves and induce bubble oscillations over a broad range of frequencies, suggesting that exciting perturbations in a pinned droplets interface is not an effective avenue for enhancing evaporative heat transfer. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.