Wetting and Spreading Kinetics of a Nano-suspension Drop via MD Simulations

Abstract

Nano-suspension has garnered tremendous attention recently in advanced material processing. The concept of assembling ordered arrays of nanoparticles on a substrate surface via suspension droplet wetting and subsequent evaporation has fueled a large body of research in this area. Wetting and Spreading kinetics of nanosuspension droplets are discussed by results from Molecular Dynamics Simulations. We examine how wetting kinetics depend on the effects of nanoparticle size and interaction strength. Results demonstrate that increasing the particle size dramatically changes observed wetting behavior from depinning to pinning. Additionally, simulation results show how weakening the interaction between the particle and the underlying substrate can change a system from exhibiting pinning behavior to de-pinning.