Criteria for Ultralyophobic Surfaces

Abstract

Very rough surfaces can suspend small liquid drops and produce very large contact angles. This behavior often is referred to as ultralyophobicity or super repellency. It is proposed that two criteria must be met to invoke ultralyophobicity: a contact line density criterion and asperity height criterion. The proposed criteria were tested using experimental data available in the literature and were found to correctly predict suspension of small water drops on model rough surfaces with a wide variety of asperity shapes, sizes, and spacing.