Can a liquid drop on a substrate be in equilibrium with saturated vapor?

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Abstract

It is well known that liquid and saturated vapor, separated by a flat interface in an unbounded space, are in equilibrium. One would similarly expect a liquid drop, sitting on a flat substrate, to be in equilibrium with the vapor surrounding it. Yet, it is not: as shown in this work, the drop evaporates. Mathematically, this conclusion is deduced using the diffuse-interface model, but it is also reformulated in terms of the maximum-entropy principle, suggesting model independence. Physically, evaporation of drops is due to the so-called Kelvin effect, which gives rise to a liquid-to-vapor mass flux if the boundary of the liquid phase is convex.

Original languageEnglish
Article numberL032103
Pages (from-to)-
JournalPhysical Review E - Statistical Physics, Plasmas, Fluids, and Related Interdisciplinary Topics
Volume104
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sep 2021

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