Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 18, 2026

Measuring the Interaction Force Between a Droplet and a Super-hydrophobic Substrate by the Optical Lever Method
Published on: June 14, 2019
From sticky to slippery droplets: dynamics of contact line depinning on superhydrophobic surfaces
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, USA.
Abstract:
This study explores how surface morphology affects the dynamics of contact line depinning of an evaporating sessile droplet on micropillared superhydrophobic surfaces. The result shows that neither a liquid-solid contact area nor an apparent contact line is a critical physical parameter to determine the depinning force. The configuration of a contact line on a superhydrophobic surface is multimodal, composed of both two phases (liquid and air) and three phases (liquid, solid, and air). The multimodal state is dynamically altered when a droplet recedes. The maximal three-phase contact line attainable along the actual droplet boundary is found to be a direct and linear parameter that decides the depinning force on the superhydrophobic surface.
More Related Videos
10:52Preparation and High-temperature Anti-adhesion Behavior of a Slippery Surface on Stainless Steel
Published on: March 29, 2018
08:02Rendering SiO2/Si Surfaces Omniphobic by Carving Gas-Entrapping Microtextures Comprising Reentrant and Doubly Reentrant Cavities or Pillars
Published on: February 11, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity
The various IMFs between identical molecules of a substance are examples of cohesive forces. The molecules within a liquid are surrounded by other molecules and are attracted equally in all directions by the cohesive forces within the liquid. However, the molecules on the surface of a liquid are attracted only by about one-half as many molecules. Because of the unbalanced molecular attractions on the surface molecules, liquids contract to form a shape that minimizes the number...
Surface Tension of Fluid
Surface tension varies with...
Contact Angle
The adhesive force is the molecular force between molecules of different materials, that is, between the molecules of the solid and the liquid. The cohesive force...
Dry Friction
To illustrate this concept, imagine a wooden crate resting on a rough, non-uniform horizontal surface. When an external force is applied to...
Surface Tension
Cohesion
On a surface,...