Modelling unidirectional liquid spreading on slanted microposts

TL;DR

This paper uses a lattice Boltzmann simulation to study how drops spread unidirectionally on surfaces with slanted micro-posts, revealing regimes of directional spreading and interface behaviors.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed numerical analysis of liquid spreading on slanted micro-posts, validating a 2D theory and exploring interface pinning effects.

Findings

Unidirectional spreading occurs over a wide range of contact and inclination angles.

Spreading regimes are classified into no, one, or two directions, matching theoretical predictions.

Detailed contact line analysis explains deviations from 2D models.

Abstract

A lattice Boltzmann algorithm is used to simulate the slow spreading of drops on a surface patterned with slanted micro-posts. Gibb's pinning of the interface on the sides or top of the posts leads to unidirectional spreading over a wide range of contact angles and inclination angles of the posts. Regimes for spreading in no, one or two directions are identified, and shown to agree well with a two-dimensional theory proposed in Chu, Xiao and Wang (Nature Materials, 9, 413). A more detailed numerical analysis of the contact line shapes allows us to understand deviations from the two dimensional model, and to identify the shapes of the pinned interfaces.