Abstract Evaporation of a drop, though a simple everyday observation, provides a fascinating subject for study. Various issues interact here, such as dynamics of the contact line, evaporation-induced phase transitions, and formation of patterns. The explanation of the rich variety of patterns formed is not only an academic challenge, but also a problem of practical importance, as applications are growing in medical diagnosis and improvement of coating/printing technology. The multi-scale aspect of the problem is emphasized in this review. The specific fundamental problem to be solved, related to the system is the investigation of the mass transfer processes, the formation and evolution of phase fronts and the identification of mechanisms of pattern formation. To understand these problems, we introduce the important forces and interactions involved in these processes, and highlight the evaporation-driven phase transitions and flows in the drop. We focus on how the deposited patterns are related to and tuned by important factors, for instance substrate properties and contents of the drop. In addition, the formation of crust and crack patterns are discussed. The simulation and modeling methods, which are often utilized in this topic, are also reviewed. Finally, we summarize the applications of drop evaporation and suggest several potential directions for future research in this area. Exploiting the full potential of this topic in basic science research and applications needs involvement and interaction between scientists and engineers from disciplines of physics, chemistry, biology, medicine and other related fields.

中文翻译：

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液滴的蒸发：从物理学到应用

摘要 一滴的蒸发虽然是一种简单的日常观察，但却是一个令人着迷的研究课题。各种问题在这里相互作用，例如接触线的动力学、蒸发引起的相变和图案的形成。解释形成的丰富多样的图案不仅是一个学术挑战，而且是一个具有实际意义的问题，因为在医学诊断和涂层/印刷技术的改进中的应用越来越多。本综述强调了该问题的多尺度方面。与系统相关的要解决的具体基本问题是研究传质过程、相前沿的形成和演化以及模式形成机制的识别。要了解这些问题，我们介绍了这些过程中涉及的重要力和相互作用，并强调了蒸发驱动的相变和液滴中的流动。我们专注于沉积图案如何与重要因素相关并受其调整，例如基板特性和液滴的含量。此外，还讨论了地壳和裂纹模式的形成。还回顾了本主题中经常使用的仿真和建模方法。最后，我们总结了液滴蒸发的应用，并提出了该领域未来研究的几个潜在方向。在基础科学研究和应用中充分发挥该课题的潜力需要物理、化学、生物学、医学和其他相关领域的科学家和工程师之间的参与和互动。