A study of the evaporation of polystyrene sphere−H2O
suspensions placed on nonwetting surfaces was
conducted using a video camera and computer-imaging interface. The
height, diameter, contact angle,
and mass were measured as functions of time for a range of sessile drop
sizes, polystyrene sphere diameters,
and initial suspension concentrations. For initial concentrations
of polystyrene spheres greater than
approximately 8%, the drop diameter changed by less than 5%, and
universal trends, independent of the
sphere and droplet size, in the time dependence of the height, mass,
and contact angle were observed.
Those situations for which the polystyrene sphere concentration
was less than approximately 8% showed
a larger variation of diameter with time. For the case where the
diameter remained constant, a theoretical
model, which is analogous to the Landau theory of phase transitions,
successfully predicts the experimental
height and mass data over the entire evaporation range.
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