Temperature distribution along the surface of evaporating droplets.

The surface temperature can significantly affect the flow field of drying droplets. Most previous studies assumed a monotonic temperature variation along the droplet surface. However, the present analyses indicate that a nonmonotonic spatial distribution of the surface temperature should occur. Three different patterns of the surface temperature distribution may appear during the evaporation process of liquid droplets: (i) the surface temperature increases monotonically from the center to the edge of the droplet; (ii) the surface temperature exhibits a nonmonotonic spatial distribution along the droplet surface; (iii) the surface temperature decreases monotonically from the center to the edge of the droplet. These surface temperature distributions can be explained by combining the evaporative cooling at the droplet surface and the heat conduction across the substrate and the liquid. Furthermore, a "phase diagram" for the distribution of the surface temperature is introduced and the effect of the spatial temperature distribution along the droplet surface on the flow structure of the droplet is discussed. The results may provide a better understanding of the Marangoni effect of drying droplets and provide a potential way to control evaporation-driven deposition as well as the assembly of colloids and other materials.