From sticky to slippery droplets: Dynamics of contact line depinning on superhydrophobic surfaces

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Abstract

This study explores how surface morphology affects the dynamics of contact line depinning of an evaporating sessile droplet on micropillared superhydrophobic surfaces. The result shows that neither a liquid-solid contact area nor an apparent contact line is a critical physical parameter to determine the depinning force. The configuration of a contact line on a superhydrophobic surface is multimodal, composed of both two phases (liquid and air) and three phases (liquid, solid, and air). The multimodal state is dynamically altered when a droplet recedes. The maximal three-phase contact line attainable along the actual droplet boundary is found to be a direct and linear parameter that decides the depinning force on the superhydrophobic surface.

Original languageEnglish
Article number024504
JournalPhysical Review Letters
Volume109
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 13 Jul 2012

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