On the corona discharge spreading of dielectric liquid films

When exposed to a corona discharge, a dielectric droplet spreads over a grounded substrate. In the present work, the spreading of dielectric liquids subjected to a short-term exposure is investigated. A simple theoretical model was developed to find the spreading law at the very beginning of exposure. The asymptotic approximation for the surface charge density and the interfacial pressure showed that the droplet spreading immediately after the exposure obeys t^1/2 law. The high speed imaging of the spreading revealed the same trend as predicted by the theoretical model.