Use of IR thermography to investigate heated droplet evaporation and contact line dynamics

In this paper we present the results of an experimental study investigating interfacial properties during the evaporation of sessile water droplets on a heated substrate. This study uses infrared thermography to map the droplet interfacial temperature. The measurements evidence nonuniform temperature and gradients that evolve in time during the evaporation process. A general scaling law for the interfacial temperature is deduced from the experimental observations. A theoretical analysis is performed to predict the local evaporation rates and their evolution in time. The use of energy conservation laws enabled us to deduce a general expression for the interfacial temperature. The comparison between the theory and experiments shows good agreement and allows us to rationalize the experimental observations. The thermography analysis also enabled the detection of the three-phase contact line location and its dynamics. To our knowledge, such measurements are performed for the first time using thermography.