Gas cushion model and hydrodynamic boundary conditions for superhydrophobic textures.

Abstract

Superhydrophobic Cassie textures with trapped gas bubbles reduce drag, by generating large effective slip, which is important for a variety of applications that involve a manipulation of liquids at the small scale. Here we discuss how the dissipation in the gas phase of textures modifies their friction properties. We propose an operator method, which allows us to map the flow in the gas subphase to a local slip boundary condition at the liquid-gas interface. The determined uniquely local slip length depends on the viscosity contrast and underlying topography, and can be immediately used to evaluate an effective slip of the texture. Besides superlubricating Cassie surfaces, our approach is valid for rough surfaces impregnated by a low-viscosity "lubricant," and even for Wenzel textures, where a liquid follows the surface relief. These results provide a framework for the rational design of textured surfaces for numerous applications.