Symmetric and asymmetric coalescence of droplets on a solid surface in the inertia-dominated regime

Abstract

We present an investigation of symmetric and asymmetric coalescence of two droplets of equal and unequal size on a solid surface in the inertia-dominated regime. Asymmetric coalescence can result due to the coalescence of two unequal-sized droplets or coalescence of two droplets having different contact angles with the surface due to a step gradient in wettability. Based on the solution of an analytical model and lattice Boltzmann simulations, we analyze symmetric and asymmetric coalescence of two droplets on a solid surface. The analysis of coalescence of identical droplets show that the liquid bridge height grows with time as (t*)1/2 for θ = 90° and (t*)2/3 for θ < 90°, where t* is dimensionless time. Our analysis also yields the same scaling law for the coalescence of two unequal-sized droplets on a surface with homogeneous wettability. We also discuss the coalescence of two droplets having different contact angles with the surface due to a step gradient in wettability. We show that the prediction of bridge height with time scales as (t*)2/3 irrespective of contact angles of droplet with the surface.