Marangoni Convection Research Articles

Solution-Processable Route for Large-Area Uniform 2D Semiconductor Nanofilms.

The semiconductor thin film engineering technique plays a key role in the development of advanced electronics. Printing uniform nanofilms on freeform surfaces with high efficiency and low cost is significant for actual industrialization in electronics. Herein, a high-throughput colloidal printing (HTCP) strategy is reported for fabricating large-area and uniform semiconductor nanofilms on freeform surfaces. High-throughput and uniform printing rely on the balance of atomization and evaporation, as well as the introduced thermal Marangoni flows of colloidal dispersion, that suppresses outward capillary flows. Colloidal printing with in situ heating enables the fast fabrication of large-area semiconductor nanofilms on freeform surfaces, such as SiO2/Si, Al2O3, quartz glass, poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), Al foil, plastic tube, and Ni foam, expanding their technological applications where substrates are essential. The printed SnS2 nanofilms are integrated into thin-film semiconductor gas sensors with one of the fastest responses (8 s) while maintaining the highest sensitivity (Rg/Ra = 21) (toward 10ppm NO2), as well as an ultralow limit of detection (LOD) of 46 ppt. The ability to print uniform semiconductor nanofilms on freeform surfaces with high-throughput promises the development of next-generation electronics with low cost and high efficiency.

Numerical and experimental investigation of the unexpected thickening effect during PolyActive™ coating of TFC membranes

AbstractIn this work, we used a previously described computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of a roll‐to‐roll coating process for the fabrication of thin‐film composite membranes to predict the final coating thickness for PolyActive™, a commercially available multiblock copolymer utilized for CO2 removal membranes. We found a strong thickening effect that could not be explained by our previous model. We investigated the process experimentally. In addition, we conducted a variety of simulations with extensions of the initial CFD model. Based on our findings, we conclude that the Marangoni effect, that is, gradients of surface tension that induce secondary flow patterns in the meniscus region, is the most likely source of the observed thickening. We explain the simulation results in order to understand the physical mechanisms at play and to show how especially surface tension gradients that arise from the particular flow structure in the meniscus may explain the additional transfer of polymer solution to the membrane. Finally, we draw some conclusions on future research and give ideas on future improvements of the process. To our knowledge, Marangoni effects for the coating of PolyActive™ were not described so far in the literature, even though it is a well‐known polymer for gas separation membranes targeted at CO2 removal. Roll‐to‐roll coating is a well‐established coating method and often believed to be suitable for the scale‐up of membrane production, therefore we think that this work will help membrane researchers who are using similar coating devices to be cautious about possible complications in the process.

Metastable Liquid Properties and Surface Flow Patterns of Ultrahigh Temperature Alloys Explored in Outer Space.

The metastable liquid properties and chemical bonds beyond 2000 K remain a huge challenge for ground-based research on liquid materials chemistry. We show the strong undercooling capability, metastable liquid properties and surface wave patterns of refractory Nb-Si and Zr-V binary alloys explored in space environment. The floating droplet of Nb82.7Si17.3 eutectic alloy superheated up to 2338 K exhibited an extreme undercooling of 437 K, approaching the 0.2TE threshold for homogeneous nucleation of liquid-solid reaction. The microgravity state endowed alloy droplets with nearly perfect sphericity and thus ensured the high accuracy to determine metastable undercooled liquid properties. A special kind of swirling flow was induced for liquid alloy owing to Marangoni convection, which resulted in the spiral microstructures on Zr64V36 alloy surface during liquid-solid phase transition. The coupled impacts of surface nucleation and surface flow brought in a novel olivary shape for these binary alloys. Furthermore, the chemical bonds and atomic structures of high temperature liquids were revealed to understand the liquid properties in outer space circumstances.

Metastable Liquid Properties and Surface Flow Patterns of Ultrahigh Temperature Alloys Explored in Outer Space

AbstractThe metastable liquid properties and chemical bonds beyond 2000 K remain a huge challenge for ground‐based research on liquid materials chemistry. We show the strong undercooling capability, metastable liquid properties and surface wave patterns of refractory Nb−Si and Zr−V binary alloys explored in space environment. The floating droplet of Nb82.7Si17.3 eutectic alloy superheated up to 2338 K exhibited an extreme undercooling of 437 K, approaching the 0.2TE threshold for homogeneous nucleation of liquid‐solid reaction. The microgravity state endowed alloy droplets with nearly perfect sphericity and thus ensured the high accuracy to determine metastable undercooled liquid properties. A special kind of swirling flow was induced for liquid alloy owing to Marangoni convection, which resulted in the spiral microstructures on Zr64V36 alloy surface during liquid‐solid phase transition. The coupled impacts of surface nucleation and surface flow brought in a novel olivary shape for these binary alloys. Furthermore, the chemical bonds and atomic structures of high temperature liquids were revealed to understand the liquid properties in outer space circumstances.

Green Printing for Scalable Organic Photovoltaic Modules by Controlling the Gradient Marangoni Flow.

Despite the rapid development in the performances of organic solar cells (OSCs), high-performance OSC modules based on green printing are still limited. The severe Coffee-ring effect (CRE) is considered to be the primary reason for the nonuniform distribution of active layer films. To solve this key printing problem, the cosolvent strategy is presented to deposit the active layer films. The guest solvent Mesitylene with a higher boiling point and a lower surface tension is incorporated into the host solvent o-XY to optimize the rheological properties, such as surface tension and viscosity of the active layer solutions. And the synergistic effect of inward Marangoni flow generation and solution thickening caused by the cosolvent strategy can effectively restrain CRE, resulting in highly homogeneous large-area active layer films. In addition, the optimized crystallization and phase separation of active layer films effectively accelerate the charge transport and exciton dissociation of devices. Consequently, based on PM6:BTP-eC9 system, the device prepared with the co-solvent strategy shows the a power conversion efficiency of 17.80%. Moreover, as the effective area scales to 1 and 16.94 cm2, the recorded performances are altered to 16.71% and 14.58%. This study provides a universal pathway for the development of green-printed high-efficiency organic photovoltaics.

Flow-Driven Self-Propulsion of Oil Droplet on a Surfactant Solution Surface, as Observed by Time-Resolved Interfacial Tension and Surface Flow Speed Measurements.

The imbalanced force of the interfacial tension applied to an object has often been taken into account in the analysis of the motion mechanism of self-propelled systems. However, heterogeneous distributions of the interfacial tension also cause Marangoni flows, and these flows also contribute to the self-propulsion through the viscous force. The contribution of such flows has not been observed directly, while the interfacial tension difference has been measured in some systems. In this study, simultaneous measurements of the interfacial tension and surface flow speed of the unidirectional self-propelled motion of a butyl salicylate (BS) droplet in a circular channel on a sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) aqueous solution were achieved by the quasi-elastic laser scattering method. The droplet position was also recorded by observing its fluorescence excited by a UV light. The BS droplet speed dependence of the interfacial tension and surface flow speed were measured by varying the initial BS concentration codissolved in the SDS aqueous solution. As a result, a periodic decrease of the interfacial tension and a periodic increase of the speed of both forward and backward flows were observed when the droplet passed the sampling position of the time-resolved measurements. When they were converted to the distribution in space of the droplet position, no droplet speed dependence of the interfacial tension difference between the front and rear of the droplet was observed. On the other hand, the speed of both forward and backward flows increased as the droplet speed increased. By analysis of the above results with a simplified model, it was clarified that the forward flow driven by the interfacial tension gradient at the droplet front is actually important in the mechanism of the unidirectional self-propelled motion of a droplet.

Thermal effects on chemically induced Marangoni convection around A + B → C reaction fronts.

Chemical reactions can induce Marangoni flows by changing the surface tension of a solution open to the air, either by changing the composition and/or by modifying the temperature. We consider the case of a simple A + B → C reaction front propagating in a thin horizontal system open to air. The effect of the three chemical species on the surface tension of the aqueous solution is quantified by three solutal Marangoni numbers, while the effect of temperature changes is determined by the thermal Marangoni number. By integrating numerically the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations coupled to reaction-diffusion-convection equations for the chemical concentrations and temperature taking into account the Lewis number (ratio between heat and mass diffusivities), we emphasize the importance of thermal changes occurring due to the heat of reaction on the dynamics of chemically induced Marangoni convection. Based on the reaction-diffusion profiles of concentrations and temperature, asymptotic analytical solutions for the surface tension profiles are obtained and classified as a function of the Marangoni numbers and the Lewis number. This new classification allows for the prediction of the convective patterns in thermo-solutal Marangoni flows. The analytical predictions are further confirmed by numerical results and additional extrema in surface tension profiles induced by the thermal effects are found to affect the nonlinear dynamics.

Uniform Nanoscale Ion-Selective Membrane Prepared by Precision Control of Solution Spreading and Evaporation.

Ion-selective membrane has broad application in various fields, while the present solution-processed techniques can only prepare uniform membrane with microscale thickness. Herein, a high-quality polymer membrane with nanoscale thickness and uniformity is precisely prepared by controlling solution spreading and solvent evaporation stability/rate. With the arrayed capillaries, the stable spreading of polymer solution with volume of microliter induces the formation of solution film with micrometers thickness. Moreover, the fast increase of solution dynamic viscosity during solvent evaporation inhibits nonuniform Marangoni flow and capillary flow in solution film. Consequently, the uniform Nafion-Li membranes with ∼200 nm thickness are prepared, while their Li+ conductivity is 2 orders of magnitude higher than that of commercially Nafion-117 membrane. Taking lithium-sulfur battery as a model device, the cells (capacities of 8-10 mAh cm-2) can stably operate for 150 cycles at a S loading of 12 mg cm-2 and an electrolyte/sulfur ratio of ∼7.

Numerical analysis of thermophoretic particle deposition in a magneto-Marangoni convective dusty tangent hyperbolic nanofluid flow – Thermal and magnetic features

Abstract In the current study, we focus on the Magneto-Marangoni convective flow of dusty tangent hyperbolic nanofluid (TiO2 – kerosene oil) over a sheet in the presence of thermophoresis particles deposition and gyrotactic microorganisms. Along with activation energy, heat source, variable viscosity, and thermal conductivity, the Dufour-Soret effects are taken into consideration. Variable surface tension gradients are used to identify Marangoni convection. Melting of drying wafers, coating flow technology, wielding, crystals, soap film stabilization, and microfluidics all depend on Marangoni driven flow. This study’s major objective is to ascertain the thermal mobility of nanoparticles in a fluid with a kerosene oil base. To improve mass transfer phenomena, we inserted microorganisms into the base fluid. By using similarity transformations, the resulting system of nonlinear partial differential equations is converted into nonlinear ordinary differential equations. Using a shooting technique based on RKF-45th order, the numerical answers are obtained. For various values of the physical parameters, the local density of motile microorganisms, Nusselt number, skin friction, and Sherwood number are calculated. The findings demonstrated that as the Marangoni convection parameter is raised, the velocity profiles of the dust and fluid phases increase, but the microorganisms, concentration, and temperature profiles degrade in both phases.

Buoyancy-driven attraction of active droplets.

For dissolving active oil droplets in an ambient liquid, it is generally assumed that the Marangoni effect results in repulsive interactions, while the buoyancy effects caused by the density difference between the droplets, diffusing product and the ambient fluid are usually neglected. However, it has been observed in recent experiments that active droplets can form clusters due to buoyancy-driven convection (Krüger et al. Eur. Phys. J. E, vol. 39, 2016, pp. 1-9). In this study, we numerically analyze the buoyancy effect, in addition to the propulsion caused by Marangoni flow (with its strength characterized by Péclet number Pe). The buoyancy effects have their origin in (i) the density difference between the droplet and the ambient liquid, which is characterized by Galileo number Ga, and (ii) the density difference between the diffusing product (i.e. filled micelles) and the ambient liquid, which can be quantified by a solutal Rayleigh number Ra. We analyze how the attracting and repulsing behaviour of neighbouring droplets depends on the control parameters Pe, Ga, and Ra. We find that while the Marangoni effect leads to the well-known repulsion between the interacting droplets, the buoyancy effect of the reaction product leads to buoyancy-driven attraction. At sufficiently large Ra, even collisions between the droplets can take place. Our study on the effect of Ga further shows that with increasing Ga, the collision becomes delayed. Moreover, we derive that the attracting velocity of the droplets, which is characterized by a Reynolds number Red, is proportional to Ra1/4/(ℓ/R), where ℓ/R is the distance between the neighbouring droplets normalized by the droplet radius. Finally, we numerically obtain the repulsive velocity of the droplets, characterized by a Reynolds number Rerep, which is proportional to PeRa-0.38. The balance of attractive and repulsive effect leads to Pe ~ Ra0.63, which agrees well with the transition curve between the regimes with and without collision.

AUGMENTATION OF DEPTH OF PENETRATION AND PRODUCTIVITY BENEFITS OF ATIG WELDS USING THE AHP

Weldability is an important issue in the fabrication of different grades of stainless steel used in industry. Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding is widely used in industry for accurate and precision work, but lack of penetration is observed in this process even though current and welding speed can be varied considerably to increase heat input to obtain deeper penetration. Increased heat input adversely affects mechanical properties of the weldment. To overcome this, activated flux TIG welding is often used in industry to achieve higher depth of penetration with relatively less heat input. In this study, activated flux TIG welding is used with input variables such as heat input, welding speed and pulse frequency. The chosen base metal is SS 304L stainless steel, and a hybrid flux mixture containing fluxes of SiO2, MnO2 and MoO3 in a ratio of 1:1:2 is used to obtain the desired depth of penetration. Nine experimental runs are conducted to obtain the optimum depth of penetration. Heat input values are 2.767 kJ/mm, 1.470 kJ/mm and 1.281 kJ/mm and pulse frequency is 160 Hz, 120 Hz and 80 Hz. Welding speed varies from 0.5 mm/s to 1.18 mm/s. A maximum depth of penetration of 4.42 mm is achieved with a heat input of 2.767 kJ/mm, welding speed of 0.5 mm/s and pulse frequency of 160 Hz. The reversed Marangoni effect and arc constriction effect are the mechanisms responsible for the deeper penetration in ATIG welding. In this research, a multi criteria decision making tool, the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), is used to validate the optimum value obtained. The optimal values obtained in the research are in good accordance with those obtained using the AHP. The outcome of the present investigation indicates the applicability of ATIG welding for joining large thickness of stainless steel flats to give enhanced productivity by reducing the number of weld passes.

Role of angular velocity on Marangoni convection shifting, heat accumulation, and microstructure evolution using laser directed energy deposition

In this study, laser Directed Energy Deposition technology is employed to fabricate internal structures within the hollow interiors of rotating parts such as tubes and cylinders. A three-dimensional transient multiphysics model for C276 material was developed, which anticipated the impact of angular velocity from tube rotation on various aspects. This model, validated by experiments, focused on the melt pool morphology, Marangoni convection, oriented crystal microevolution, and deposited material microhardness. It was found that at 150 ms deposition, the dimensions of the melt pool stabilized. With an increase in the Peclet number, heat transfer within the melt pool transitioned from conduction to convection. A rise in angular velocity reduced the melt pool deposition height, limited by the volume of the deposited material. Additionally, this angular velocity generated tangential forces, leading to an asymmetric melt distribution in the longitudinal section of the melt pool and a movement of the melt toward the melting front. At the bottom of the melt pool, the growth of C276 columnar crystals was notably inclined toward the center of Marangoni convection. The microhardness of the deposited material showed a stable distribution along the inclined crystal direction, whereas significant fluctuations were observed perpendicular to the cylinder substrate. These findings highlighted the considerable effect of Marangoni convection on microstructural evolution.

Manipulating solvent fluidic dynamics for large-area perovskite film-formation and white light-emitting diodes.

Presynthesized perovskite quantum dots are very promising for making films with different compositions, as they decouple crystallization and film-formation processes. However, fabricating large-area uniform films using perovskite quantum dots is still very challenging due to the complex fluidic dynamics of the solvents. Here, we report a robust film-formation approach using an environmental-friendly binary-solvent strategy. Nonbenzene solvents, n-octane and n-hexane, are mixed to manipulate the fluidic and evaporation dynamics of the perovskite quantum dot inks, resulting in balanced Marangoni flow, enhanced ink spreadability, and uniform solute-redistribution. We can therefore blade-coat large-area uniform perovskite films with different compositions using the same fabrication parameters. White and red perovskite light-emitting diodes incorporating blade-coated films exhibit a decent external quantum efficiency of 10.6% and 15.3% (0.04 cm2), and show a uniform emission up to 28 cm2. This work represents a significant step toward the application of perovskite light-emitting diodes in flat panel solid-state lighting.

Scalable Fabric‐Based Solar Steam Generator

AbstractSolar steam generation has emerged as a promising approach to address water scarcity issues globally. However, a few challenges remain, including high cost, limited scalability, and salt accumulation, before this technique can be adopted by the general population. Here, an all‐in‐one photothermal fabric is reported such as a solar steam generator (SSG), consisting of commercial hydrophilic superfine denier polypropylene fiber and water‐repellent expandable polyethylene foam, manufactured via a conventional weaving machine. By tailoring the yarn twist and density, optimized micro‐macro hierarchical channels can be created in the SSG to provide sufficient water supplementation and continuous steam generation. Due to the Marangoni effect introduced by the temperature gradient along the yarns water with high salinity transports to the bulk water, realizing a salt‐rejecting property. As a result, the SSG demonstrates a rapid evaporation rate of 1.408 kg m−2 h−1 and energy efficiency of 92.43% under 1 sun, as well as outstanding stability for desalination of high salinity brine (10 wt% NaCl). Furthermore, this strategy provides a new solution to achieve excellent cost‐effectiveness in clean water production at ≈1700 g h−1 $−1. This work provides a sustainable fabric‐based SSG for practical large‐scale clean water production, and can potentially inspire other textiles‐based water treatment.

Influence of gravitational tilt on the thermocapillary convection in a non-axisymmetric liquid bridge

Fluid slosh caused by residual acceleration in microgravity is a common problem encountered in space engineering. To solve this problem, the ground-based experiment research on the influence of gravity jitter and gravitational tilt on the thermocapillary convection (TCC) transition behaviour of non-axisymmetric liquid bridge has become an important issue in microgravity fluid management. Based on a mesoscale liquid bridge experimental platform which can realize gravitational tilt, the effect of gravitational tilt on TCC by using a high-speed camera equipped with a near-focus lens and a self-developed interface image recognition package. The results show that the spatio-temporal evolution of TCC by the influence of gravitational tilt is still divided into steady and oscillatory flow. In the stable TCC, the vortex core distortion of cellular flow caused by the imbalance left and right interface curvature invites cellular flow close to the free surface, and it shrinks to the intermediate height. As gravitational tilt increases, the transverse/longitudinal velocity peaks are significantly reduced, peak velocity has been reduced by 26%–27%. Meanwhile, the longitudinal velocity gradient at the free interface increases significantly. Therefore, gravitational tilt plays an important role in improving the surface flow velocity. In the oscillatory TCC, the position of vortex core is closer to the free interface at the hot/cold corner as the periodic mutual occupation of the left and right cellular flows. The TCC is obviously inhibited due to the gravitational tilt. The critical temperature difference is increased by 25% and the onset of temperature oscillation at the hot corner is delayed by 20% compared with conventional gravity condition.

Numerical study of the Marangoni effect induced by soluble surfactants and solute based on rising droplets

In this study, we present a numerical investigation into the phenomenon of rising droplets in immiscible fluids, focusing on the Marangoni effect induced by both solute and a combination of solute and soluble surfactants. We meticulously examine the interfacial behaviors of pure solute droplets and mixed droplets, with a particular interest on the intricate interplay among interfacial concentration, interfacial tension, Marangoni stress, and Marangoni convection. Our investigation provides insight into the influence of key physicochemical parameters, such as viscosity, diffusion coefficient, partition coefficient, and interfacial tension gradient, on the Marangoni instability. Furthermore, we conduct a comprehensive parametric exploration of the impact of dimensionless numbers such as the Langmuir number (La), the Damkohler number (Da), the Peclet number (Pe), and the elasticity number β on the stabilizing efficacy of surfactants. The research findings underscore the effectiveness of our numerical method in capturing the distinctive two-step acceleration characteristics of pure solute droplets and the stabilizing effect of surfactants on mixed droplets. Notably, our study reveals that the Marangoni instability may manifest even when the viscosity and diffusivity ratios of the two-phase fluids are closely matched. Partition coefficients below unity exhibit only a marginal influence on the re-acceleration time of the droplets. Systems characterized by extremely low interfacial tension gradients tend to exhibit no Marangoni instability. Moreover, an increase in La enhances the stability of mixed droplets, while a significant threshold is identified for Da to affect the stability of mixed droplets. The ascent speed of mixed droplets displays pronounced variation across varying Pe magnitudes. Finally, in scenarios involving a wide-ranging variation in β, mixed droplets transition between the states of pure solute droplets and rigid spheres, revealing a distinct-state transition point.

Modeling and numerical studies of high-precision laser powder bed fusion

In order to comprehensively reveal the evolutionary dynamics of the molten pool and the state of motion of the fluid during the high-precision laser powder bed fusion (HP-LPBF) process, this study aims to deeply investigate the specific manifestations of the multiphase flow, solidification phenomena, and heat transfer during the process by means of numerical simulation methods. Numerical simulation models of SS316L single-layer HP-LPBF formation with single and double tracks were constructed using the discrete element method and the computational fluid dynamics method. The effects of various factors such as Marangoni convection, surface tension, vapor recoil, gravity, thermal convection, thermal radiation, and evaporative heat dissipation on the heat and mass transfer in the molten pool have been paid attention to during the model construction process. The results show that the molten pool exhibits a “comet” shape, in which the temperature gradient at the front end of the pool is significantly larger than that at the tail end, with the highest temperature gradient up to 1.69 × 108 K/s. It is also found that the depth of the second track is larger than that of the first one, and the process parameter window has been determined preliminarily. In addition, the application of HP-LPBF technology helps to reduce the surface roughness and minimize the forming size.

The effect of small perturbation on dynamics of absorptive LiBr–water solution

In a binary solution of lithium bromide–water, even a small disturbance in the initial homogeneous mass fraction at the absorbing interface has profound effects on the entire system dynamics. This perturbation of absorption disrupts the equilibrium, leading to the formation of surface tension gradients and subsequently, Marangoni flows. While these flows are relatively weak, they result in a non-uniform distribution of density within the bulk, initiating buoyant convection. We investigate complexities of the Marangoni, solutal, and buoyant convection caused by localized disruptions in uniform absorption, all in the absence of any surfactants. We have conducted numerical simulations to explore fluid dynamics and heat and mass transfer, revealing three different regimes. Initially, shortly after disturbance, variations in mass fraction and flow within the cell are primarily governed by the Marangoni force. After a finite period, the emergence of buoyant convection leads to the strong growth of velocity and significant changes in temperature and mass fraction. Finally, the destabilization of the boundary layer becomes so significant that the emission of plumes is observed. At later times, the parallel existence of two types of patterns takes on a spatially fixed form. The central part, occupied by bands (visible on space-time maps), exhibits minimal changes in time, while a periodic structure is established near the wall. This behavior can be characterized as a relaxation–oscillation mode of instability.

Numerical investigation on cooperative evaporation from microdroplet array on heated substrate

The evaporative heat and mass transport characteristics from an array of continuously fed microdroplet on a heated substrate are investigated numerically by a Multiphysics model, which incorporates heat conduction, buoyant flow, Marangoni flow, Stefan flow, and vapor diffusion. The effects of droplet spacing, contact angle, and droplet size on the evaporation rate, heat flux, and convection strength were analyzed in detail with a fixed thermal and vapor concentration boundary condition. The results revealed the existence of extremely strong convection current in the ambient gas domain for evaporation from droplet array. This convection effect dominates the vapor transport process, overcomes the suppression effect from neighboring droplet, and causes the total evaporation rate to exceed the prediction from traditional diffusion-based model by up to ten times. The strength of the convective vapor transport is characterized by a dimensionless parameter, which increases first from 2.3 to 7 and then decrease to 4 with increasing contact angle from 30° to 150°, but remains invariant at 6.3 for hemispherical droplet irrespective of the change in droplet dimension. Finally, the numerical results demonstrate potential for microdroplet array evaporation to resolve the thermal management challenge of ultrahigh power electronics with heat flux up to 1 kW/cm2.

Coupled instability modes at a solvent/non-solvent interface to decorate cellulose acetate flowers

Dispensing a water drop on the thin film of a solution composed of cellulose acetate (CA) in dimethyl formamide (DMF) forms a thin and porous CA layer at the water–DMF interface. While a denser water drop on a rarer CA–DMF film manifests a Rayleigh–Taylor instability—RTI, the dynamically forming porous layer at the water–DMF interface triggers a Saffman–Taylor instability—STI. The combined effects of RTI and STI enable the formation, growth, coalescence, and branching of an array of periodic finger patterns to finally develop into a flower-like morphology. A general linear stability analysis (GLSA) of a thin bilayer composed of a Newtonian and incompressible water layer resting on a Darcy–Brinkman porous medium could predict the length and the time scales of such a finger formation phenomenon. The GLSA uncovers the crucial roles of pressure gradients originating from the gravitational effects, osmotic forces, the Marangoni effect, and capillary forces on the dynamics of the finger formation. While the density difference between water and CA–DMF layer plays a crucial role in deciding the initial finger spacing, the osmotic pressure dictates the formation, growth, branching, and coalescence of fingers. The length-FL and number-Navg of fingers are found to scale as FL∼We0.33Re−0.25 and Navg∼We0.33Re0.25. Further, an inverse relationship of the concentration of CA (C) with ∼We−0.3 and ∼Re−0.7 highlights its role in the formation and growth of fingers. The loading of CA in DMF, the viscosity and density of the CA–DMF film, and the curvature of the fingers are found to be other parameters that decide morphologies.