Origins of liquid-repellency on structured, flat, and lubricated surfaces

TL;DR

This study investigates the physical mechanisms behind droplet movement on different high-performance liquid-repellent surfaces, revealing distinct velocity-dependent behaviors linked to their surface structures and contact line dynamics.

Contribution

It provides detailed measurements of dissipative forces and contact line behavior across various surface types, advancing understanding of liquid-repellency mechanisms.

Findings

Dissipative force is velocity-independent on superhydrophobic surfaces.

Force depends non-linearly on velocity on flat and lubricated surfaces.

Contact line dynamics vary significantly between surface classes.

Abstract

There are currently three main classes of high-performance liquid-repellent surfaces: micro-/nano-structured lotus-effect superhydrophobic surfaces, flat surfaces grafted with 'liquid-like' polymer brushes, and various lubricated surfaces. Despite recent progress, the mechanistic understanding of the differences in droplet behavior on such surfaces is still under debate. We measured the dissipative force acting on a droplet moving on representatives of these classes at different velocities U = 0.01-1 mm/s using a cantilever force sensor with sub-uN accuracy, and correlated it to the contact line dynamics observed using optical interferometry at high spatial (micron) and temporal (< 0.1s) resolutions. We find that the dissipative force, due to very different physical mechanisms at the contact line, is independent of velocity on superhydrophobic surfaces, but depends non-linearly on velocity for flat and lubricated surfaces. The techniques and insights presented here will inform future work on liquid-repellent surfaces and enable their rational design.