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Journal of Chemical Engineering of Japan, Vol.46, No.5, 367-370, 2013
Wetting-Induced Entrapment of a Droplet in a UV-Curable Volatile Liquid Coating
Herein, we describe the behavior of a water droplet on a UV-curable liquid sublayer coating. The surface deformation of the droplet promotes the spontaneous rupture of the sublayer, leading to the wetting-induced inversion of the liquid-liquid bilayer under particular drying conditions. Optical microscopy of the dried films revealed three distinct topographical patterns (i) a trapped droplet immersed in the sublayer, (ii) a cylindrical open column, and (iii) a transition mode between (i) and (ii), depending on time scales for the solvent evaporation and the film solidification. A dimensionless drying map is presented to identify the morphology transition by different regions in parameter space. Such a one-step patterning route in a wet-on-wet configuration is promising for the fabrication of multilayer devices.