Controlling evaporative crystal deposits is important for a variety of applications, including printing, corrosion control, and study of crystal polymorphs. In this video we demonstrate evaporative crystallization of calcium sulfate salt from a small drop of water on different surfaces. Evaporation on a regular hydrophilic surface is contrasted to specialty superhydrophobic surfaces. We use a variety of superhydrophobic surfaces with different nano- and micro-textures to demonstrate how surface texture can be used to control contact angle, which controls evaporative flow, which then ultimately controls the form of the crystal deposit.
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