Initial Electrospreading of Aqueous Electrolyte Drops

The early spreading of a liquid drop on a solid surface driven by inertial, capillary, and electrostatic forces is of fundamental interest, since most commonly used surfaces are (naturally) charged. We studied the effect of applying an electric potential between a drop and a surface on the early spreading of aqueous electrolyte drops. We found that spreading dynamics not only depended on the potential, but also on the electrolyte concentration. Based on molecular dynamics simulations of the ion distribution in spreading nanodrops under an applied potential, we propose a simple model to explain the relation between applied potential, electrolyte concentration, and early spreading dynamics. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.026103