No abstract

We have fabricated a range of silicon post surfaces where post width and spacing have been systematically varied. As one subset, we have generated surfaces where the post spacings in x and y assume different values. On these surfaces, the dynamic contact angles become anisotropic. A fluoropolymer monolayer is photochemically attached to the microstructured silicon, leading to the appearance of ultrahydrophobic properties. On one side, the advancing contact angles on these surfaces are not affected by variations in the geometric parameters. This furthers the conclusion that, during the advancing motion, a true contact angle of 180 degrees is reached. On the other side, the receding angles are strongly influenced by the post size and spacing. We quantitatively analyze this dependence and relate variations in the receding angle to the shape and movement of the three-phase contact line. It is suggested that during the receding motion the meniscus successively dewets from one post at a time, with a step function running along the contact line until it has receded from a row of posts over its entire length.

On rough surfaces, two distinct wetting modes can appear. These two states are usually described by the theories of Cassie (drops suspended on top of roughness features) and Wenzel (drops impaled on roughness features). Whereas the wetting transition from the Cassie to the Wenzel state has been relatively well studied both experimentally and theoretically, the question of whether metastable Wenzel drops exist and how they transition to the Cassie state has remained open. In this work, we study the wetting behavior of microstructured post surfaces coated with a hydrophobic fluoropolymer. Through condensation, the formation of metastable Wenzel droplets is induced. We show that under certain conditions drops can transition from the Wenzel to the Cassie state.

No abstract