Wetting and phase change: Opportunities and challenges

Wetting of liquids involving phase change is a fundamental physical phenomenon, at the heart of numerous natural, biological and technological areas. Exploiting the evaporation of wetting liquids for some exciting recent applications demonstrates the wide range of opportunities offered by this phenomenon. Our fundamental understanding of this, apparently simple, phenomenon, is however far from being complete. Many challenging questions about this process remain unanswered. In this paper we highlight some potential opportunities, which may benefit from the mastery of the process of wetting and evaporation of liquids. We also point to some of the challenges that scientists and researchers need to address to advance our understanding of this important topic.

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► Wetting involving phase change represents great potential with numerous exiting applications.
► The fundamental mechanisms underlying the phenomenon are poorly understood.
► Evaporation as a fundamental phenomenon, is still being debated.
► Dynamic wetting is described through more than one theory.
► Multiscales involved in wetting raise fundamental questions on how to model wetting.