Active matter alters the growth dynamics of coffee rings

How particles are deposited at the edge of evaporating droplets, i.e. the coffee ring effect, plays a crucial role in phenomena as diverse as thin-film deposition, self-assembly, and biofilm formation. Recently, microorganisms have been shown to passively exploit and alter these deposition dynamics...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Soft matter 2019, Vol.15 (7), p.1488-1496
Main Authors: Andac, Tugba, Weigmann, Pascal, Velu, Sabareesh K. P, Pinçe, Erça, Volpe, Giorgio, Volpe, Giovanni, Callegari, Agnese
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biofilms
Chemistry
Coating effects
Coffee
Deposition
Droplets
Drying
Dynamics
escherichia-coli
Evaporation
Evaporation rate
flow
Fysikalisk kemi
Materials Science
Microorganisms
motility
pattern-formation
Physical Chemistry
Physics
Polymer Science
Self-assembly
stains
surfactant
Thin films
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Summary:How particles are deposited at the edge of evaporating droplets, i.e. the coffee ring effect, plays a crucial role in phenomena as diverse as thin-film deposition, self-assembly, and biofilm formation. Recently, microorganisms have been shown to passively exploit and alter these deposition dynamics to increase their survival chances under harshening conditions. Here, we show that, as the droplet evaporation rate slows down, bacterial mobility starts playing a major role in determining the growth dynamics of the edge of drying droplets. Such motility-induced dynamics can influence several biophysical phenomena, from the formation of biofilms to the spreading of pathogens in humid environments and on surfaces subject to periodic drying. Analogous dynamics in other active matter systems can be exploited for technological applications in printing, coating, and self-assembly, where the standard coffee-ring effect is often a nuisance. Active matter in a drying droplet alters the growth dynamics of coffee rings and leads to a more uniform distribution.
ISSN:1744-683X
1744-6848
DOI:10.1039/c8sm01350k