Measuring Contact Angles of a Sessile Drop and Imaging Convection Within It

Figure 1 depicts an apparatus that simultaneously and synchronously records magnified ordinary top-view video images and laser-shadowgraph video images of a sessile drop. The real-time values of contact angle and rate of evaporation of the drop as functions of time can be calculated from the apparent diameters of the drop in the sequences of the images. In addition, the shadowgraphs contain flow patterns indicative of thermocapillary convection (if any) within the drop. These time-dependent parameters and flow patterns are important for understanding the physical processes involved in the spreading of evaporating liquids in such diverse technological applications as coating (including painting), film cooling, processing of materials, lubrication, and boiling. Study of the spreading of drops can also contribute to understanding of the spreading of biological cells.