PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL EVOLUTION OF THE DISPERSED PHASE OF WATER WHEN IT DRYES
The dynamics of the formation of the texture of the drying precipitate of the dispersed phase (DP) of water is considered. It was previously shown that DP observed through an optical microscope is represented by aggregates of liquid crystal spheres of ~ 10 µm in size, each of which is formed around a NaCl microcrystal and is its hydration shell. After evaporation of free water, the central zone of the sediment film is deformed and cracks, acquiring the texture of the mountain landscape. The microspheres bordering the cracks are destroyed, the hydrated shells dissociate and the salt solution penetrates the cracks. The formation of free water ensures the advancement and cascade of NaCl recrystallizations along the cracks (channels) before they enter the total volume - the place where the channels merge. A cluster of crystalline NaCl is formed there. This ensures spatial separation of sediment components. On the periphery of the drying film, radially arranged serpentine chain structures are formed, described earlier for drying colloidal dispersions as a result of advection, diffusion, and capillary attraction (Colegov and Barash, 2019). The similarities and differences in the observed processes with the description of aging colloidal systems, as well as with the physics of tectonic faults, are discussed.