Drop Deposition Technique on Low Energy Surface

Abstract

In this paper we propose a new technique for drop deposition on low energy surfaces, which addresses the limitations of the classical drop deposition technique. In this classical technique, a drop is deposited on a surface by bringing a needle, holding the drop, in proximity to the solid surface. Therefore, irrespective of whether the solid surface is in air or under a liquid, it becomes extremely difficult to deposit the drop on low energy surfaces owing to the large differences between the drop-needle and the drop-substrate adhesion forces (or surface energies). In our discussed method, we overcome this difficulty for low energy surfaces immersed in a liquid. For surfaces under liquid, there is an interface in addition to the solid-liquid interface: this interface is the air-liquid interface, where the liquid gets exhausted. In our technique, we cater the (un)favorable drop spreading dynamics at this interface to ensure that the drop gets deposited on the under-liquid surface.