For several centuries fluid dynamics studies have relied upon the assumption that when a liquid flows over a solid surface, the liquid molecules adjacent to the solid are stationary relative to the solid. This no-slip boundary condition (BC) has been applied successfully to model many macroscopic experiments, but has no microscopic justification. In recent years there has been an increased interest in determining the appropriate BCs for the flow of Newtonian liquids in confined geometries, partly due to exciting developments in the fields of microfluidic and microelectromechanical devices and partly because new and more sophisticated measurement techniques are now available. An increasing number of research groups now dedicate great attention to the study of the flow of liquids at solid interfaces, and as a result a large number of experimental, computational and theoretical studies have appeared in the literature. We provide here a review of experimental studies regarding the phenomenon of slip of Newtonian liquids at solid interfaces. We dedicate particular attention to the effects that factors such as surface roughness, wettability and the presence of gaseous layers might have on the measured interfacial slip. We also discuss how future studies might improve our understanding of hydrodynamic BCs and enable us to actively control liquid slip.

The influence of surface roughness on the boundary condition for the flow of a Newtonian fluid near a hard wall has been investigated by measurement of the hydrodynamic drainage force. The degree of slip is found to increase with surface roughness. This leads to the conclusion that in most practical situations boundary slip takes place, leading to a reduction of the drainage force.

The hydrodynamic drainage force of aqueous medium between smooth hydrophilic surfaces was measured with the colloidal probe technique up to shear rates of typically 10(4) s(-1). Measured force curves were compared to simulations. To reach agreement between experimental and simulated force curves, the hydrodynamic force had to be fitted with a model allowing for boundary slippage. Boundary slip was characterized by a slip length of 8-9 nm. Force measurements with charged surfaces could be simulated taking only hydrodynamic and electrostatic double-layer forces into account.

Sessile liquid drops are predicted to deform an elastic surface onto which they are placed because of the combined action of the liquid surface tension at the periphery of the drop and the capillary pressure inside the drop. Here, we show for the first time the in situ experimental confirmation of the effect of capillary pressure on this deformation. We demonstrate micrometer-scale deformations made possible by using a low Young's modulus material as an elastic surface. The experimental profiles of the deformed surfaces fit well the theoretical predictions for surfaces with a Young's modulus between 25 and 340 kPa.

The evaporation of water/ethanol drops with different mixing ratios was investigated at controlled vapor pressure of water (relative humidity) and ethanol in the background gas. Therefore, a drop of about 1 microL was deposited on a hydrophobized silicon substrate at room temperature in a closed cell. With a microscope camera we monitored the contact angle, the volume and the contact radius of the drops as function of time. Pure water drops evaporated in constant contact angle mode. The evaporation rate of water decreased with increasing humidity. In mixed drops ethanol did not evaporate completely at first, but a fraction still remained in the drop until the end of evaporation. Depending on ethanol concentration in the drop and on relative humidity in the background gas, water vapor condensed at the beginning of the evaporation of mixed drops. Also, at a high vapor pressure of ethanol, ethanol condensed at the beginning of the evaporation. The presence of ethanol vapor accelerated the total evaporation time of water drops.

A sessile droplet can deform the surface of a soft solid not only with its weight. The surface tension pulls up a ridge at the perimeter of the drop, and the capillary pressure embosses a quasi-spherical dimple underneath the drop. This holds for the case of a bulk solid. However, if the solid forms a film with thickness comparable to the deformation scale the shape and the depth of the dimple are strongly distorted. We investigated dimples on elastomer films with a Young's modulus of 25 kPa and thickness in the range 4-104 mm embossed by sessile ionic liquid droplets. The films are supported by an undeformable glass slide. Below a certain critical film thickness, the dimple is shallower and the ridge at the drop rim is less elevated than for the bulk elastomer. The deviations are more pronounced for thinner films. Further, troughs form at the two sides of the ridge. Their distance from the rim is equivalent to the layer thickness. The measurements are qualitatively reproduced by an analytical model and quantitatively by numerical simulations. A consistent physical picture of the deformation on the bulk elastomer and of the distortions on the thin films is given.

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