Prediction of Droplet Sliding on the Continuity of the Three-Phase Contact Line

Many animals and plants have evolved wonderful hydrophobic abilities to adapt to the complex climate environment. The microstructure design of a superhydrophobic surface focuses on bionics and will be restricted by processing technology. Although certain functions can be achieved, there is a lack of unified conclusion on the wetting mechanism and a few quantitative analyses of the continuity of the three-phase contact line. Therefore, the relationship between the surface microstructure of the lattice pattern and the critical sliding angle of the water droplet in the Cassie state was investigated in this paper, and we proposed a method to quantitatively analyze the continuity of the three-phase contact line by a dimensionless length f. The results showed that the three-phase contact line was an important factor to determine the sliding performance of the droplet. The upward traction force generated by the surface tension through the force analysis on the three-phase contact line can enhance the sliding ability of the droplet on the solid surface. There was a good negative linear correlation between the critical sliding angle and dimensionless length, which provided a guiding basis for the optimal design of superhydrophobic surfaces.