Mapping micron-scale wetting properties of superhydrophobic surfaces

Abstract: There is a huge interest in developing super-repellent surfaces for anti-fouling and heat transfer applications. To characterize the wetting properties of such surfaces, the most common approach is to place a millimetric-sized droplet and measure its contact angles. The adhesion and friction forces can then be indirectly inferred from the Furmidge's relation. While easy to implement, contact angle measurements are semi-quantitative and cannot resolve wetting variations on a surface. Here, we attach a micrometric-sized droplet to an Atomic Force Microscope cantilever to directly measure adhesion and friction forces with nanonewton force resolutions. We spatially map the micron-scale wetting properties of superhydrophobic surfaces and observe the time-resolved pinning-depinning dynamics as a droplet detaches from or moves across the surface.