Rupture of thin films formed during droplet impact

Abstract

Rupture of liquid films formed during droplet impact on a dry solid surface was studied experimentally. Water droplets (580±70 μm) were photographed as they hit a solid substrate at high velocities (10–30 m s⁻¹). Droplet–substrate wettability was varied over a wide range, from hydrophilic to superhydrophobic, by changing the material of the substrate (glass, Plexiglas, wax and alkylketene dimer). Both smooth and rough wax surfaces were tested. Photographs of impact showed that as the impact velocity increased and the film thickness decreased, films became unstable and ruptured internally through the formation of holes. However, the impact velocity at which rupture occurred was found to first decrease and then increase with the liquid–solid contact angle, with wax showing rupture at all impact velocities tested. A thermodynamic stability analysis combined with a droplet spreading model predicted the rupture behaviour by showing that films would be stable at very small or at very large contact angles, but unstable in between. Film rupture was found to be greatly promoted by surface roughness.