Genesis of Bénard–Marangoni Patterns in Thin Liquid Films Drying into Air

Abstract

Inspired by many years of motivating collaboration between the first author and Prof. Manuel G. Velarde, in the field of surface-tension-driven instabilities, pattern formation, and transition to turbulence, this paper presents recent experimental results obtained in collaboration with the second and third authors at the TIPs laboratory in Brussels. Namely, the evolution of Bénard-like patterns is explored for pure liquid layers evaporating into air, from chaotic regimes down to more stable structures with predominant hexagonal symmetry. Drying liquid layers indeed appear as a particularly simple example of system where, due to the decreasing liquid depth, the preferred wavelength of the pattern is continuously decreased in time, hence requiring perpetual creation of new convective cells. Such pattern “genesis” appears to lead to disordered structures with interesting characteristics, whose preliminary experimental investigation is carried out here. This paper is dedicated to Prof. Manuel G. Velarde, at the occasion of his 70th birthday, as a mark of deep gratitude for all positive scientific and cultural influences he had and he still has on many young scientists.