  Sessile droplets exposed to an incipient condition lead to an inevitable loss
of mass, which is critical in many practical applications. By considering an
arbitrarily configured two-dimensional array of droplets, here we provide a
simple generalized theoretical limit to their lifetime in an evaporating state.
Notwithstanding the geometrical and physical complexity of the effective
confinement generated due to their cooperative interactions, we show that the
consequent evaporation characteristics may be remarkably insensitive to the
topographical details of the overall droplet organization, for a wide range of
droplet-substrate combinations. With subsequent deployment of particle-laden
droplets, however, our results lead to the discovery of a unique pathway
towards tailoring the internal flows within the collective system by harnessing
an exclusive topologically-driven symmetry breaking phenomenon, yielding a new
strategy of patterning particulate matters around the droplet array.
