Effect of interfacial mass transport on inertial spreading of liquid droplets

Abstract

In this work, the early time dynamics of low-viscosity liquid drops spreading in their saturated vapor on partially wetting surfaces are investigated by lattice Boltzmann numerical simulations. Attention is paid to the effect of vapor transport through condensation on the spreading process. We observe that the condensation current resulting from the slight supersaturation of the liquid vapor near the dynamic wetting meniscus contributes to the motion and affects the spreading dynamics. Our results indicate that, in order to properly capture the initial dynamics of inertial spreading of a relatively volatile liquid drop, it is important to account for the vapor transport through condensation in the immediate vicinity of the contact line. A direct qualitative and quantitative comparison with experimental data of spontaneously wetting liquid drops is presented.