Profile characterization and temperature dependence of droplet control on textured surfaces

Droplet control on textured surfaces has attracted much attention in the fields of drag reduction and high-efficiency microreactors. We investigated the profile characterization and temperature dependence of droplet control between wetting and non-wetting on a series of textured silicon surfaces. Surfaces were fabricated using photolithography, and the temperature-dependent wettability of the single phase regime droplets was characterized using dynamic contact angle measurements. The experiments demonstrated that the profile of textured surfaces characterizes the droplets Leidenfrost point. The Leidenfrost point is proportional to the micro-pillar size and rectangular wave-length of the textured surface and is inversely proportional to ambient temperature. The Leidenfrost droplets moved freely on the textured surface, almost without hysteresis. Droplets could be directed on the surface of microreactors with a low driving force.