%0 Journal Article
%T Quantum vacuum photon-modes and superhydrophobicity
%A Louis Dellieu
%A Olivier Deparis
%A Jerome Muller
%A Michael Sarrazin
%J Physics
%D 2014
%I arXiv
%R 10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.024501
%X Nanostructures are commonly used for developing superhydrophobic surfaces. However, available wetting theoretical models ignore the effect of vacuum photon-modes alteration on van der Waals forces and thus on hydrophobicity. Using first-principle calculations, we show that superhydrophibicity of nanostructured surfaces is dramatically enhanced by vacuum photon-modes tuning. As a case study, wetting contact angles of a water droplet above a polyethylene nanostructured surface are obtained from the interaction potential energy calculated as function of the droplet-surface separation distance. This new approach could pave the way for the design of novel superhydrophobic coatings.
%U http://arxiv.org/abs/1412.6229v2