| dc.description.abstract | The coffee ring phenomenon referred to the ring-like stain left behind by a sessile
droplet as it evaporated. The phenomenon has limited the improvement of various
processes, from inkjet printing and microdot array to coating. In agriculture, the
coffee ring effect inhibited the adsorption of foliar fertilizers droplets applied onto
leave surfaces to induce plant growth, causing fertilizer run off which consequentially
damaged the ground water and marine life. In this study, the possibility of adding
SDS and dextrin to NPK solution to mitigate the coffee ring effect was explored.
Fertilizer samples were tested on modified glass substrate to mimic the hydrophobic
characteristic of leaves in nature. The fertilizer coverage of various fertilizer samples
was taken; the results showed an improvement in the coverage of NPK droplets with
both SDS or dextrin as compared to standard NPK droplets, indicating the necessity
of having both components in the system. To investigate the concentration of SDS
and dextrin that best improve the coverage, response surface methodology was
applied. However, no specific SDS and dextrin concentration was obtained but rather,
high coverage values were recorded within the range of 3.0 – 4.0 mM SDS and 2.6
– 3.0 mM dextrin was applied. | en_US |
