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arXiv · 2609.26332

A thermodynamically consistent and conservative phase-field model for surfactant contact line dynamics with solid adsorption

Jiangxu Huang·Zhenhua Chai·Xi Liu·Changsheng Huang
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Abstract

Surfactant adsorption at solid-fluid interfaces strongly influences contact line dynamics, yet most surfactant-laden phase-field models neglect solid adsorption and rely on Cahn-Hilliard-type equations. We develop a thermodynamically consistent and conservative Allen-Cahn-Navier-Stokes model for surfactant-laden contact line dynamics with solid adsorption. A unified free-energy formulation accounts for surfactant transport, adsorption, and wetting dynamics, yielding consistent wetting and adsorption boundary conditions. Second-order Allen-Cahn-type equations govern both the phase field and surfactant concentration, avoiding the numerical complexity of fourth-order formulations. A classical linear constraint ensures exact conservation of total surfactant mass, whereas a generalized nonlinear conserved quantity is introduced for the phase field to improve geometric volume conservation. The resulting weighted Lagrange-multiplier correction vanishes in the bulk phases and is confined to the diffuse interface, suppressing the leading-order curvature-induced bulk shift associated with the linear constraint while preserving the energy-dissipation structure. Matched asymptotic analysis shows that the nonlinear formulation can achieve formal second-order geometric-volume accuracy. A lattice Boltzmann method is developed to solve the coupled system. Numerical results confirm the predicted second-order convergence, demonstrate enhanced volume preservation for high-curvature droplets, and reproduce wetting responses induced by preferential solid adsorption, including hydrophilization and autophobing. Under shear flow, the results also show that solid adsorption can significantly influence contact line recession and droplet detachment.

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Jiangxu Huang, Zhenhua Chai, Xi Liu, Changsheng Huang. 2026-09-22. A thermodynamically consistent and conservative phase-field model for surfactant contact line dynamics with solid adsorption. https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.26332

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