Study of the Contact and the Evaporation Kinetics of a Thin Water Liquid Bridge between Two Hydrophobic Plates

Abstract : The evaporation of sessile water droplets on hydrophobic surfaces is a topic which led to numerous investigations. However, how does the liquid behave when the evaporation occurs between two of these particular substrates? The drying stage is governed by capillary phenomena which takes place in a confined space. In the field of material shaping, it is also possible that some regions of a green body exhibit hydrophobic properties. As part of a better understanding of the local mechanisms during drying, liquid bridges have been reproduced in an ideal case. Drying kinetics and parameters measurements from 303 to 343 K (relative humidity of 55%) of deionized water liquid bridges between two plates of hydrophobic substrates are presented. Experimental work was carried out using a specific device to create liquid bridges, coupled with image analysis within an adapted instrumented climatic chamber. While the volume and the exchange surface of liquid bridges decrease regularly throughout the process, contact angles constantly diminish and more significantly at the end. This is different from the evaporation between two hydrophilic plates. From these measurements, the change of curvature of the liquid bridges during evaporation is highlighted