Geometrically driven liquid wicking: numerical study and experimental validation

International audience; Liquid film or drop wicking on solid surface without any external energy input is highly desirable in specific industrial processes. This paper proposes a numerical study of the dynamics of liquid wicking on geometrically structured flat surface. We consider structures deduced from flat surface by super-imposing a series of identical parallel channels, the ensemble being made of the same material. Channels exhibit arrow-shaped patterns. We analyse drop wicking on such a structure using numerical simulation and experiment. Both approaches reveal non symmetric wicking clearly exhibiting a privileged direction. The simulation captures the evolution of the liquid/air interface at smaller time scales and reveals wicking with rapid pulses suggested by the experiment.