Phys.org November 11, 2024
Understanding and controlling liquid interactions on tiny, advanced surfaces, a breakthrough that could impact a wide range of industries, from self-cleaning materials to medical devices. Through experimental approaches and theoretical analysis, a team of researchers in Australia assessed how variations in geometry and material impact wettability. Key findings revealed that SiC re-entrant structures had similar hydrophobic behavior. Although flat SiC surfaces exhibited higher inherent hydrophobicity than flat SiOâ‚‚, re-entrant geometry predominantly influenced wetting behavior. Structures with lower solid area fractions showed increased hydrophobicity, with a distinct hierarchy: micro lines were the least hydrophobic, followed by shark-skin textures, rectangles, circles, and triangles. Additionally, increasing the gap size between structures enhanced hydrophobicity up to a critical point… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Fabrication process of re-entrant structures using lithography and reactive ion etching… Credit: Advanced Materials Interfaces, 12 September 2024