PNAS December 10, 2019 116 (50) 25008-25012; first published November 26, 2019 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1916772116
Abstract:
The functional properties of surfaces are often dictated by their wettability. For example, to minimize smudging on a surface, it should be able to repel and not be wetted by oil easily. The most common approach to quantify the surface wettability is to measure the contact angle of a droplet. While easy to perform, such measurements are crude and imprecise. Here, we report a technique to measure the interaction forces between a small microdroplet and a surface with nanonewton resolution and spatially map the local wetting properties at the micrometer scale. The insight generated by the technique can then inform future design of functional coatings.
License type:
PublisherCopyrights
Funding Info:
Science and Engineering Research Council Career Development Award (Grant A1820g0089), Pharos Advanced Surfaces Program (Grants 1523700101 and 1523700104).