3D thermodynamic optimal design of superhydrophobic surfaces using periodic microstructures

Though many superhydrophobic surfaces have been produced by mimicking biological materials and show great prospects in aerospace, navigation, architecture, and biomedical devices, it is still left uncertain which surficial microstructure is the most optimal to use and the thermodynamic mechanism behind. Many previous works focused on the dependence of surface contact angle and contact angle hysteresis on microstructures via different models. But only a few of them have taken the kink model of the three-phase contact line motion into account. In this work, we consider the kink model of the contact line motion and take a 3D microtextured surface with paraboloid structures as an example to revisit the prediction of surface superhydrophobic properties. The dependence of the superhydrophobicity on the structure shape and different structural parameters are discussed. This work helps reveal structural factors that govern the optimal design of superhydrophobic microstructures, paving the way for high-efficiency production of high-performance films.