Numerical Stability and Accuracy of Contact Angle Schemes in Pseudopotential Lattice Boltzmann Model for Simulating Static Wetting and Dynamic Wetting

There are five most widely used contact angle schemes in the pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann(LB)model for simulating the wetting phenomenon:The pseudopotential-based scheme(PB scheme),the improved virtualdensity scheme(IVD scheme),the modified pseudopotential-based scheme with a ghost fluid layer constructed by using the fluid layer density above the wall(MPB-C scheme),the modified pseudopotential-based scheme with a ghost fluid layer constructed by using the weighted average density of surrounding fluid nodes(MPB-W scheme)and the geometric formulation scheme(GF scheme).But the numerical stability and accuracy of the schemes for wetting simulation remain unclear in the past.In this paper,the numerical stability and accuracy of these schemes are clarified for the first time,by applying the five widely used contact angle schemes to simulate a two-dimensional(2D)sessile droplet on wall and capillary imbibition in a 2D channel as the examples of static wetting and dynamic wetting simulations respectively.(i)It is shown that the simulated contact angles by the GF scheme are consistent at different density ratios for the same prescribed contact angle,but the simulated contact angles by the PB scheme,IVD scheme,MPB-C scheme and MPB-W scheme change with density ratios for the same fluid-solid interaction strength.The PB scheme is found to be the most unstable scheme for simulating static wetting at increased density ratios.(ii)Although the spurious velocity increases with the increased liquid/vapor density ratio for all the contact angle schemes,the magnitude of the spurious velocity in the PB scheme,IVD scheme and GF scheme are smaller than that in the MPB-C scheme and MPB-W scheme.(iii)The fluid density variation near the wall in the PB scheme is the most significant,and the variation can be diminished in the IVD scheme,MPB-C scheme andMPBWscheme.The variation totally disappeared in the GF scheme.(iv)For the simulation of capillary imbibition,the MPB-C scheme,MPB-Wscheme and GF scheme simulate the dynamics of the liquid-vapor interface well,with the GF scheme being the most accurate.The accuracy of the IVD scheme is low at a small contact angle(44 degrees)but gets high at a large contact angle(60 degrees).However,the PB scheme is the most inaccurate in simulating the dynamics of the liquid-vapor interface.As a whole,it is most suggested to apply the GF scheme to simulate static wetting or dynamic wetting,while it is the least suggested to use the PB scheme to simulate static wetting or dynamic wetting.

Dynamic wetting of rolling oil on aluminum surfaces

Static and dynamic contact angles of stock oil and its solutions with additives（fatty acid, fatty alcohol, fatty methyl ester usually used in rolling aluminum） were measured on aluminum surface （Alloy 1145） by sessile drop technique on an OCA35 dynamic contact angle tester. The effect of additive on the drop spreading was investigated as well. It is shown that the drop spreads very quickly in the first 500 ms after the lubricant contacts with the aluminum surface, and then does slowly later. The dynamic contact angle decreases exponentially with time. In contrast to the stock oil, although addition of polarity additive of long chain alkyl into stock oil is able to decrease the surface tension of solutions, it weakens the wetting dynamic, which results fi＇om the adsorption at the expanding solid/liquid interface. Among the same long chain polarity organic compounds used, dynamic wetting decreases in the order of fatty acid, fatty alcohol and fatty ester. The blend of fatty alcohol and fatty methyl ester can improve the oil wetting dynamics and promote the lubricant spreading.

Dynamics of Spreading of Liquid on Solid Surface

Based on assuming that there is the precursor film in the front of the apparent contact line （ACL）, a model was proposed to understand the dynamic wetting process and associated dynamic contact angle. The present model indicated that a new dimensionless characteristic parameter, 2, attects the dynamic wetting process and associated dynamic contact angle as well. However, the previous model suggested that the dynamic contact angle is dependent＇on the capillary number and static contact angle only. An experimental investigation was conducted to measure the dynamic wetting behavior of silicon oil moving over glass, aluminum and stainless steel surfaces. It concluded that when the value of 2 was selected as 0.07, 0.16 and 0.35 for glass, aluminum and stainless steel, respectively, the experimental results were in good accordance with the prediction of the model. Furthermore, the comparison of the model with Strom＇s experimental data showed that 2 is independent on the species of liquids. Apparently, 2 should be interpreted as the effect of the solid surface properties on the dynamic wetting process.Meanwhile, it is found in the present experiment that the Hoffman-Voinov-Tanner law, which is valid at very low capillary number （Ca 〈〈 1 or 80〈 10°） recommend by Cazabat, still holds for higher contact angles, even up to 70°-80°. This is explained by （he present model very well.

A Review on the Evaporation Dynamics of Sessile Drops of Binary Mixtures:Challenges and Opportunities

The wetting and evaporation dynamics of sessile droplets have gained considerable attention over the last few years due to their relevance to many practical applications,ranging from a variety of industrial problems to several biological systems.Droplets made of binary mixtures typically undergo complex dynamics due to the differential volatility of the considered components and the ensuing presence of thermocapillary effects.For these reasons,many research groups have focused on the evaporation of binary droplets using a variegated set of experimental,numerical,and purely theoretical approaches.Apart from reviewing the state-of-the-art about the existing experimental,analytical,and computational techniques used to study the evaporation dynamics of binary sessile droplets,we also provide some indications about possible future research directions in this specific area.

Gradient Wetting Transition from the Wenzel to Robust Cassie-Baxter States along Nanopillared Cicada Wing and Underlying Mechanism

Gradient wettability is important for some living organisms.Herein,the dynamic responses of water droplets impacting on the surfaces of four regions along the wing vein of cicada Cryptotympana atratafabricius are investigated.It is revealed that a gradient wetting behavior from hydrophilicity(the Wenzel state)to hydrophobicity and further to superhydrophobicity(the Cassie-Baxter state)appears from the foot to apex of the wing.Water droplets impacting on the hydrophilic region of the wing cannot rebound,whereas those impacting on the hydrophobic region can retract and completely rebound.The hydrophobic region exhibits robust water-repelling performance during the dynamic droplet impact.Moreover,a droplet sitting on the hydrophobic region can recover its spherical shape after squeezed to a water film as thin as 0.45 mm,and lossless droplet transportation can be achieved at the region.Based on the geometric parameters of the nanopillars at the hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions on the cicada wing,two wetting models are developed for elucidating the mechanism for the gradient wetting behavior.This work directs the design and fabrication of surfaces with gradient wetting behavior by mimicking the nanopillars on cicada wing surface.

Chinese brushes： From controllable liquid manipulation to template-free printing microlines

As a traditional writing instrument for calligraphy and painting, the Chinese brush has enjoyed a high reputation over the last 5,000 years due to its ability to controllably handle liquid ink, and has been widely used to deposit ink into certain characters or figures as a means of cultural communication. In this mini-review, we first show how the key to the controllable liquid transfer in a Chinese brush lies in the anisotropic multi-scale structural features of the freshly emergent hairs. Then, drawing inspiration from this, applications in controllable liquid pumping, highly efficient liquid transfer and template-free printing microlines are addressed. We envision that the fundamentals of Chinese brushes and their applications in liquid manipulation mentioned in this review may also be extended to other liquid phase functional material systems.

Mechanically induced phase transformation of zinc sulfide

Molecular dynamics （MD） simulations of the consecutive compression-decompression cycles ot hexagonal zinc sulfide （wurtzite） nanoparticles predict an irreversible phase transformation to the cubic polymorph.The phase transformation commences at the contact area between the particle and the inden- ter and proceeds with the number of compression cycles. Dislocations are visible for a particle size above 5nm. Results from wet grinding and dry powder compression experiments on a commercial wurtzite pigment agree qualitatively with MD simulation predictions. X-ray diffraction patterns reveal that the amount of cubic polymorph in the compressed samples increases with pressure applied to the powder. In comparison with powder compression, wet milling leads to a more pronounced phase transformation. This occurs because the particles are exposed to a large number of stress events by collision with the grinding media, which leads to the formation of defects and new surface crystallites by particle fracture. According to the MD simulations, phase transformation is expected to occur preferentially in surface crystallites because they experience the highest mechanical load. Because of the phase transformation, the wet ground and compressed samples exhibit a lower photo- luminescence intensity than the feed material. In comparison with powder compression, milling reduces the photoluminescence intensity more substantially. This occurs because a higher defect concentration is formed. The defects contribute to the phase transformation and photoluminescence quenching.