# Guided droplet transport on synthetic slippery surfaces inspired by a pitcher plant

## TL;DR

This study demonstrates how anisotropic grooves on synthetic slippery surfaces can direct droplet movement via capillary pinning, inspired by pitcher plant surfaces, with implications for droplet control technologies.

## Contribution

It introduces a capillary-based mechanism for droplet transport on synthetic surfaces inspired by natural pitcher plant features, combining experiments and biological insights.

## Key findings

- Grooved features enable droplet trapping and directed transport.
- Capillary pinning is robust on synthetic and natural surfaces.
- Grove-guided prey trapping enhances pitcher plant efficiency.

## Abstract

We show how anisotropic, grooved features facilitate the trapping and directed transport of droplets on lubricated, liquid-shedding surfaces. Capillary action pins droplets to topographic surface features, enabling transport along the feature while inhibiting motion across (or detachment from) the feature. We demonstrate the robustness of this capillary-based mechanism for directed droplet transport on slippery surfaces by combining experiments on synthetic, lubricant-infused surfaces with observations on the natural trapping surface of a carnivorous pitcher plant. Controlling liquid navigation on synthetic surfaces promises to unlock significant potential in droplet-based technologies. Our observations also offer novel insight into the evolution of the Nepenthes pitcher plant, indicating that the `pitfall' trapping mechanism is enhanced by the lubricant-infused, macroscopic grooves on the slippery peristome surface, which guide prey into the trap in a way that is more tightly controlled than previously considered.