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Surface Tension of Fluid01:22

Surface Tension of Fluid

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Surface tension is a fundamental property of fluids, occurring at the boundary between a liquid and a gas or between two immiscible liquids. This phenomenon arises from the cohesive forces between molecules at the fluid's surface, creating an effect similar to a stretched elastic membrane. Inside each fluid, molecules are equally attracted in all directions by neighboring molecules, but surface molecules experience a net inward force, resulting in surface tension.
Surface tension varies...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 22, 2026

Light-induced Patterning and Grafting for Slippery Surfaces based on Silane-coated Nanoporous Structures
07:23

Light-induced Patterning and Grafting for Slippery Surfaces based on Silane-coated Nanoporous Structures

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Reversible Mobility Switching and Programmable Liquid Drop Transport on Air-Permeable Superhydrophobic Surfaces.

Ioannis E Markodimitrakis1, Alexandros G Sourais1, Athanasios G Papathanasiou1

  • 1School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, Athens 15780, Greece.

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|April 21, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Researchers developed a programmable method for controlling liquid drops on superhydrophobic surfaces using air pressure. This technique allows for precise manipulation and transport of droplets, enhancing their utility in microfluidic applications.

Keywords:
air-permeable porous materialsprogrammable drop controlreversible drop mobilitysuperhydrophobic surfaces

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Surface Chemistry

Background:

  • Superhydrophobic surfaces offer low-friction liquid drop mobility but suffer from poor adhesion and control.
  • Existing methods for drop manipulation often require complex fabrication or chemical treatments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present a simple, accessible, and programmable approach for precise liquid drop manipulation on superhydrophobic surfaces.
  • To demonstrate control over drop adhesion and mobility using pressure modulation.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a commercially available, air-permeable sintered porous PTFE sheet rendered superhydrophobic via manual wet sanding.
  • Employed air injection (positive pressure) to reduce solid-liquid contact and induce drop levitation.
  • Used air suction (negative pressure) to increase adhesion and immobilize drops.

Main Results:

  • Achieved reversible switching between pinned and mobile drop states in real time by alternating between air suction and injection.
  • Demonstrated stepwise drop motion on inclined surfaces by controlling positive pressure pulse duration.
  • Enabled directional transport of drops on horizontal surfaces by synchronizing pressure pulses with substrate oscillations.

Conclusions:

  • The developed low-cost, programmable method offers robust and reversible control over liquid drop mobility on superhydrophobic surfaces.
  • This technique holds significant promise for applications in open-surface microfluidics, lab-on-chip devices, and adaptive liquid handling systems.