Scheff Talya, Acha Florence, Diaz Armas Nathalia, Mead Joey L, Zhang Jinde
Department of Plastics Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, USA.
Biomimetics (Basel). 2025 Jan 2;10(1):20. doi: 10.3390/biomimetics10010020.
Superhydrophobic coatings are beneficial for applications like self-cleaning, anti-corrosion, and drag reduction. In this study, we investigated the impact of surface geometry on the static, dynamic, and sliding contact angles in the Cassie-Baxter state. We used fluoro-silane-treated silicon micro-post patterns fabricated via lithography as model surfaces. By varying the solid fraction (ϕ), edge-to-edge spacing (L), and the shape and arrangement of the micro-posts, we examined how these geometric factors influence wetting behavior. Our results show that the solid fraction is the key factor affecting both dynamic and sliding angles, while changes in shape and arrangement had minimal impact. The Cassie-Baxter model accurately predicted receding angles but struggled to predict advancing angles. These insights can guide the development of coatings with enhanced superhydrophobic properties, tailored to achieve higher contact angles and customized for different environmental conditions.
超疏水涂层有利于自清洁、防腐和减阻等应用。在本研究中，我们研究了表面几何形状对Cassie-Baxter状态下的静态、动态和滑动接触角的影响。我们使用通过光刻制造的氟硅烷处理的硅微柱图案作为模型表面。通过改变固体分数（ϕ）、边到边间距（L）以及微柱的形状和排列，我们研究了这些几何因素如何影响润湿行为。我们的结果表明，固体分数是影响动态角和滑动角的关键因素，而形状和排列的变化影响最小。Cassie-Baxter模型准确地预测了后退角，但难以预测前进角。这些见解可以指导具有增强超疏水性能的涂层的开发，以实现更高的接触角并针对不同的环境条件进行定制。
