Equilibrium contact angle of a droplet is influenced by surface characteristics and fluid properties. In addition to increasing the solid–liquid contact line, surface roughness also alters the surface free energy, which has a significant influence on contact angle values. Droplets are more likely to impinge on vertices as surface roughness increases. Anisotropic wetting of chemically heterogeneous surfaces further controls the total surface free energy. The free energy Lattice Boltzmann method is utilized to study the effects of wettability heterogeneity and roughened surfaces. Initial model comparisons with experiments showed excellent agreement. The rough surface is modeled with different pillar shapes on a smooth wall, with surface wettability ranging from hydrophilic to neutral conditions. The length scale of surface patterns matches the droplet size, making the Cassie–Baxter and Wenzel equations inapplicable. Results indicate that droplets pin on the vertices of rectangular pillars, while frustum shapes facilitate movement. Studies cover nearly neutral wet, moderately wet, and strongly wet conditions. The effects of relative surface roughness, roughness distribution, mixed wetting surfaces, and body force on equilibrium contact angle are examined. Additionally, the interaction between fluid flow and surface roughness elements shows that smaller spacing and greater height of roughness elements enhance thermal performance, with Nusselt numbers fluctuating significantly. Findings suggest that the ratio of droplet size to pillar surface area is crucial for minimizing surface free energy. On superhydrophilic surfaces, droplet pinning at pillar edges causes the surface to behave hydrophobically. In mixed-wet rough surfaces, pillar wettability significantly influences the equilibrium contact angle.
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