Fingering inside the coffee ring

Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys. 2013 Jan;87(1):013003. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.87.013003. Epub 2013 Jan 3.

Abstract

Colloidal droplets including micro- and nanoparticles generally leave a ringlike stain, called the "coffee ring," after evaporation. We show that fingering emerges during evaporation inside the coffee ring, resulting from a bidispersed colloidal mixture of micro- and nanoparticles. Microscopic observations suggest that finger formation is driven by competition between the coffee-ring and Marangoni effects, especially when the inward Marangoni flow is overwhelmed by the outward coffee-ring flow. This finding could help to understand the variety of the final deposition patterns of colloidal droplets.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms*
  • Colloids / chemistry*
  • Computer Simulation
  • Models, Chemical*
  • Rheology / methods*

Substances

  • Colloids