Potential and motion design of droplets in a wetting-programable nanoporous surface

In this study, we design a wetting-programable method to create a surface channel for droplets. Superhydrophilic channels can be designed and erased reversibly by selectively masking the wetting and prewetting process on superhydrophobic silicone surfaces with microgroove and nanoporous structures fabricated using a micromachining technique. We found that droplets in this flow channel present a complex wetting behavior. The surface that undergoes infiltration by wetting and prewetting transitions from being a superhydrophobic surface to becoming a superhydrophilic surface. To understand the dynamics of droplet exploration, we measured the spreading distance of the droplet’s leading edge and the spontaneous capillary flow (SCF). The final spreading length of the droplet’s leading edge was also recorded. We found that increasing the prewetting volume enhances the final spreading distance of the droplet’s leading edge and the average SCF speed. Prewetting minimizes the apparent contact angle and pinning, promoting superhydrophilicity and increasing the droplet mobility. To further enhance our control over liquid transport, we incorporated vertical vibration as an active approach to regulate the programmed transport of droplets. We observed a substantial extension in the final spreading distance of the droplet’s leading edge. This extension was attributed to the effective overcoming of the pinning phenomena caused by the application of vertical vibration. With the above-mentioned methods, we achieve guided motion and multi-droplet sequence mixing of droplets with the designed channel shapes. Our results suggest how the wetting behavior dynamics of a multi-level structural surface are affected by prewetting liquid and vertical vibration. This provides insight into the wetting mechanism on porous superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic material.