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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Fabrication of Large-area Free-standing Ultrathin Polymer Films

Fabrication of Large-area Free-standing Ultrathin Polymer Films

Published on: June 3, 2015

Irreversible electrowetting on thin fluoropolymer films.

Shaun Berry¹, Jakub Kedzierski, Behrouz Abedian

¹MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 244 Wood Street, Lexington, MA 02040, USA. sberry@LL.mit.edu

Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids

|October 24, 2007

Summary

Electrowetting reversibility is limited by trapped charge accumulation at the aqueous-solid interface. This charge buildup, influenced by electric fields, causes contact angle relaxation and can be modeled to predict irreversible electrowetting.

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Surface Science
Electrical Engineering

Background:

Electrowetting enables precise droplet manipulation on surfaces.
Understanding reversibility is crucial for reliable electrowetting devices.
Trapped charge effects can limit the long-term performance of electrowetting systems.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the reversibility of electrowetting on dielectric-coated surfaces.
To identify the mechanisms behind irreversible electrowetting.
To develop a model for predicting trapped charge and irreversible electrowetting.

Main Methods:

Fabrication of silicon dioxide insulators coated with amorphous fluoropolymer films (20-80 nm thickness).
Repeated voltage actuation experiments on aqueous droplets.
Analysis of contact angle relaxation to quantify irreversibility.
Development of an empirical model based on experimental data.

Main Results:

Irreversible trapped charge accumulation observed at the aqueous-solid interface.
Contact angle relaxation is a direct consequence of trapped charge.
Charge accumulation correlates with applied electric field intensity and fluoropolymer breakdown strength.
An empirical model was successfully developed to estimate trapped charge and the voltage threshold for irreversible electrowetting.

Conclusions:

Trapped charge is a primary factor limiting electrowetting reversibility.
Fluoropolymer properties and applied electric fields significantly influence charge accumulation.
The developed model provides a predictive tool for designing robust electrowetting devices.