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arXiv · 2110.00691

Universality of breath figures on two-dimensional surfaces: an experimental study

L. Stricker·F. Grillo·E. A. Marquez·G. Panzarasa·K. Smith-Mannschott·J. Vollmer
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Abstract

Droplet condensation on surfaces produces patterns, called breath figures. Their evolution into self-similar structures is a classical example of self-organization. It is described by a scaling theory with scaling functions whose universality has recently been challenged by numerical work. Here, we provide a thorough experimental testing, where we inspect substrates with vastly different chemical properties, stiffness, and condensation rates. We critically survey the size distributions, and the related time-asymptotic scaling of droplet number and surface coverage. In the time-asymptotic regime they admit a data collapse: the data for all substrates and condensation rates lie on universal scaling functions.

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L. Stricker, F. Grillo, E. A. Marquez, G. Panzarasa, K. Smith-Mannschott, J. Vollmer. 2021-10-02. Universality of breath figures on two-dimensional surfaces: an experimental study. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevresearch.4.l012019

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