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Quasi-2D Model to Predict Solid Microstructure in Drying Thin Films
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Quasi-2D Model to Predict Solid Microstructure in Drying Thin Films

Jesse L Starger, Aaron T Fafarman, Jason B Baxter, Nicolas J Alvarez and Richard A Cairncross
Langmuir, v 39(46), pp 16231-16243
21 Nov 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c01469
PMID: 37939230
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel

Abstract

The microstructure of solid coatings produced by solution processing is highly dependent on the coupling between growth, solute diffusion, and solvent evaporation. Here, a quasi-2D numerical model coupling drying and solidification is used to predict the transient lateral growth of two adjacent nuclei growing toward each other. Lateral gradients of the solute and solvent influence the evolution of film thickness and solid growth rate. The important process parameters and solvent properties are captured by the dimensionless Peclet number ( ) and the Biot number ( ), modified by an aspect ratio defined by the film thickness and distance between nuclei. By variation of and , the evaporation dynamics and aspect ratio are shown to largely determine the coating quality. These findings are applied to drying thin films of crystallizing halide perovskites, demonstrating a convenient process map for capturing the relationship between the modified and well-defined coating regimes, which may be generalized for any solution-processed thin film coating systems.

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4 citations in Web of Science
3 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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#7 Affordable and Clean Energy

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Web of Science research areas
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chemistry, Physical
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
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