evaporationinduced

Evaporation-induced refers to processes in which the evaporation of a volatile component drives changes in concentration, structure, or organization of a system. The term is used across materials science, colloid chemistry, and surface science to describe phenomena initiated by solvent loss, often in thin films or droplets, that lead to deposition, self-assembly, or phase transitions.

Key mechanisms include the creation of concentration gradients as solvent leaves, capillary flows toward the droplet edge (the coffee-ring effect), and Marangoni convection arising from surface-tension gradients. As solvent evaporates, solute concentration can reach supersaturation or trigger phase changes, causing crystallization, gelation, or self-assembly. In droplets and films, these processes can produce distinct patterns, textures, or layered structures.

Typical examples are the coffee-ring deposition of colloidal particles from evaporating droplets, evaporation-induced self-assembly of block copolymers or nanoparticles into ordered films, and evaporation-driven crystallization of salts. Evaporation can also induce dewetting, buckling, or wrinkling in thin films as stresses develop from solvent removal.

Applications of evaporation-induced phenomena include the fabrication of micro- and nano-structured coatings, printed electronics, sensors, and surface patterning. Control over evaporation rate, solvent properties (volatility, surface tension, vapor pressure), substrate interactions, ambient conditions, and additives enables tuning of deposit morphology and material properties.

Research in this area combines experimental observations with theoretical and computational models of diffusion-limited evaporation, capillarity, and thin-film hydrodynamics to predict and optimize patterns and structures formed during solvent loss.