No-Loss Transportation of Water Droplets by Patterning a Desired Hydrophobic Path on a Superhydrophobic Surface

The directional transportation of droplets on solid surfaces is essential in a wide range of engineering applications. It is convenient to guide liquid droplets in a given direction by utilizing the gradient of wettability, by which the binding forces can be produced. In contrast to the mass-loss transportation of a droplet moving along hydrophilic paths on a horizontal superhydrophobic surface, we present no-loss transportation by fabricating a hydrophobic path on the same surface under tangential wind. In experimental exploration and theoretical analysis, the conditions of no-loss transportation of a droplet are mainly considered. We demonstrate that the lower (or upper) critical wind velocity, under which the droplet starts on the path (or is derailed from the path), is determined by the width of the path, the length of the contact area in the direction parallel to the path, the drift angle between the path and the wind direction, and the surface wettability of the pattern. Meanwhile, the no-loss transportation of water droplets along the desired path zigzagging on a superhydrophobic surface can be achieved steadily under appropriate conditions. We anticipate that such robust no-loss transportation will find an extensive range of applications.