Abstract
When studying the condensation of vapor to liquid drops on solid hydrophobic surfaces the volume of drops V is found to increase linearly with time, V∝t. Constant-contact-angle evaporation studies showed that drop volumes decrease according to V∝t3/2. Since both processes are diffusion limited, one would expect the same kinetics. Here, we demonstrate experimentally, theoretically and by finite-element simulations that the spacing between condensing or evaporating drops affects the growth. The volume of single, isolated drops changes according to V∝t3/2. For a dense array of drops each individual drop will grow or shrink linearly, V∝t.