Droplet Motion on a Shape Gradient Surface
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Shouping Xu; Pihui Pi; Xiufang Wen; Haiting Xing; Yanfen Zheng; Cailong Zhou; Jiang Cheng
- Source
- Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids. 33(17)
- Subject
- Surface (mathematics)
Materials science
Motion (geometry)
02 engineering and technology
010402 general chemistry
01 natural sciences
Physics::Fluid Dynamics
Surface tension
Optics
Position (vector)
Physics::Atomic and Molecular Clusters
Electrochemistry
General Materials Science
Spectroscopy
business.industry
Contact line
Surfaces and Interfaces
Mechanics
021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology
Condensed Matter Physics
0104 chemical sciences
Condensed Matter::Soft Condensed Matter
Shape gradient
0210 nano-technology
business
Layer (electronics)
- Language
- ISSN
- 1520-5827
We demonstrate a facile method to induce water droplet motion on an wedge-shaped superhydrophobic copper surface combining with a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) oil layer on it. The unbalanced interfacial tension from the shape gradient offers the actuating force. The superhydrophobicity critically eliminates the droplet contact line pinning and the slippery PDMS oil layer lubricates the droplet motion, which makes the droplet move easily. The maximum velocity and furthest position of droplet motion were recorded and found to be influenced by the gradient angle. The mechanism of droplet motion on the shape gradient surface is systematically discussed, and the theoretical model analysis is well matched with the experimental results.