A novel instrument allows for the first time measurements of the lateral adhesion forces at a solid-liquid interface, f(parallel), in a way that is decoupled from the normal forces, f(perpendicular). We use it to measure how f(parallel) between a drop and a surface is influenced by different f(perpendicular) and different histories of drop resting periods on the surface prior to sliding, t(rest). The variation of f(parallel) with t(rest) is similar for different f(perpendicular) and always plateaus as t(rest)-->infinity. We show that the f(parallel) plateau value is higher when f(perpendicular) is lower. This seemingly counterintuitive result is in agreement with recent theories.

We establish a tool for direct measurements of the work needed to separate a liquid from a solid. This method mimics a pendant drop that is subjected to a gravitational force that is slowly increasing until the solid-liquid contact area starts to shrink spontaneously. The work of separation is then calculated in analogy to Tate's law. The values obtained for the work of separation are independent of drop size and are in agreement with Dupré's theory, showing that they are equal to the work of adhesion.

Classical experiments show that the force required to slide liquid drops on surfaces increases with the resting time of the drop, t rest , and reaches a plateau typically after several minutes. Here we use the centrifugal adhesion balance to show that the lateral force required to slide a water drop on a graphene surface is practically invariant with t rest . In addition, the drop's three-phase contact line adopts a peculiar micrometric serrated form. These observations agree well with current theories that relate the time effect to deformation and molecular reorientation of the substrate surface. Such molecular re-orientation is non-existent on graphene, which is chemically homogenous. Hence, graphene appears to provide a unique tribological surface test bed for a variety of liquid drop-surface interactions.

Viscoelastic braking theories developed by Shanahan and de Gennes and by others predict deformation of a solid surface at the solid-liquid-air contact line. This phenomenon has only been observed for soft smooth surfaces and results in a protrusion of the solid surface at the three-phase contact line, in agreement with the theoretical predictions. Despite the large (enough to break chemical bonds) forces associated with it, this deformation was not confirmed experimentally for hard surfaces, especially for hydrophobic ones. In this study we use superhydrophobic surfaces composed of an array of silicon nanostructures whose Young modulus is 4 orders of magnitude higher than that of surfaces in earlier recorded viscoelastic braking experiments. We distinguish between two cases: when a water drop forms an adhesive contact, albeit small, with the apparent contact angle θ < 180° and when the drop-surface adhesion is such that the conditions for placing a resting drop on the surface cannot be reached (i.e., θ = 180°). In the first case we show that there is a surface deformation at the three-phase contact line which is associated with a reduction in the hydrophobicity of the surface. For the second case, however, there cannot be a three-phase contact line associated with a drop in contact with the surface, and indeed, if we force-place a drop on the surface by holding it with a needle, no deformation is detected, nor is there a reduction in the hydrophobic properties of the surface. Yet, if we create a long horizontal three-phase contact line by partially immersing the superhydrophobic substrate in a water bath, we see a localized reduction in the hydrophobic properties of the surface in the region where the three-phase contact line used to be. The SEM scan of that region shows a narrow horizontal stripe where the nanorods are no longer there, and instead there is only a shallow structure that is lower than the nanorods height and resembles fused or removed nanorods. Away from that region, either on the part of the surface which was exposed to bulk water or the part which was exposed to air, no change in the hydrophobic properties of the surface is observed, and the SEM scan confirms that the nanorods seem intact in both regions.

In this paper we show a way that allows for the first time to induce arbitrary humidity of desired value for systems without convective flow. To enable this novelty we utilize a semi-closed environment in which evaporation is not completely suppressed. In this case, the evaporation rate is determined both by the outer (open) humidity and by the inner (semi-closed) geometry including the size/shape of the evaporating medium and the size/shape of the semi-closure. We show how such systems can be used to induce desired humidity conditions. We consider water droplet placed on a solid surface and study its evaporation when it is surrounded by other drops, hereon "satellite" drops and covered by a semi-closed hemisphere. The main drop's evaporation rate is proportional to its height, in agreement with theory. Surprisingly, however, the influence of the satellite drops on the main drop's evaporation suppression is not proportional to the sum of heights of the satellite drops. Instead, it shows proportionality close to the satellite drops' total surface area. The resultant humidity conditions in the semi-closed system can be effectively and accurately induced using different satellite drops combinations.