Superwetting Surfaces under Different Media: Effects of Surface Topography on Wettability

Superwetting surfaces in air, such as superhydrophobic and superoleophobic surfaces that are governed by surface chemical compositions and surface topographies, are one of the most extensively studied topics in this field. However, it is not well-understood how surface topographies affect the behaviors of immiscible liquids and gases under other kinds of media, although it is significant in diverse fields. The main aim of this work is to systematically investigate the wetting behaviors of liquids (water and oil) and gas (air) on silicon surfaces with different topographies (i.e., smooth, micro, nano, and micro-/nanostructures) under various media (i.e., air, water, and oil). The contact angles, as well as contact-angle hysteresis, sliding angles, and adhesive forces, were utilized to evaluate the wettability of these surfaces. As a result, the microstructured surfaces typically exhibit high contact-angle hysteresis, high sliding angles, and high adhesive forces, whereas the micro-/nanostructured surfaces display low contact-angle hysteresis, low sliding angles, and low adhesive forces, even if they have high (>150°) and similar contact angles. Furthermore, when transferring the same surface from one kind of medium to another, different superwetting states can be reversibly switched.