Howard A Stone
The drying of complex fluids, such as colloidal or polymer solutions, is filled with fascinating dynamics as a consequence of evaporation-driven inhomogeneities of the suspended material, which can result in an "elastic skin" at the liquid-air interface and dense deposits at the contact line, both of which can lead to significant mechanical stresses. As a consequence, drops of a colloidal solution or a polymer solution may undergo shape changes during drying and cracks can form, after which a deposited drop or film can even delaminate from the substrate. Understanding the rates of different transport processes helps to understand and organize the different material responses. We look back at the well-cited 2018 contribution in EPJE by Giorgiutti-Dauphiné and Pauchard who provided an organized view and many insights on this topic, highlight some more recent research, and look towards future developments.