Tanner Gaw
Research Mentor(s): Solomon Adera
Department or Program: MechE
Authors: Solomon Adera PhD
Session: Session 1: 12:00pm-12:50pm
Poster: 23
Abstract
Besides the scientific merit, drop friction has been closely investigated due to its relevance in drop transport in microfluidics. Recently, state-of-the-art micro/nanotextured lubricant-infused surfaces have attracted interest in their ability to reduce friction by eliminating solid-liquid contact between the drop and the underlying substrate. However, these surfaces still experience frictional force, the nature of which is not fully understood to date. Here, we systematically investigated drop friction on well-defined silicon micropillars that are impregnated with a lubricant. By directly measuring the dissipative forces using a cantilever force sensor, our experiments show that Landau-Levich-Derjaguin (LLD) film exists for tall pillars when the pillar density exceeds ≈40%. These results are in contrast to prior studies, which reported the absence of the LLD film for tall pillars, sparse or dense. In addition to improving our understanding of drop friction on textured lubricant-infused surfaces, the insights gained from this work provide useful guidelines in the design of nearly frictionless surfaces for drop transport.
