Sliding Behavior of Droplets on a Tilted Substrate with a Chemical Step

Controlling and predicting the motion of droplets on a heterogeneous substrate have received widespread attention. In this paper, we numerically simulate the droplet sliding through a "chemical step", that is, different wetting properties at two sides of the step, on a tilted substrate by the multiphase lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). Three kinds of equilibrium statuses are reproduced by observing the deformation of the droplet and the velocities of the front contact line. This study shows the droplet obtains a driving force to break through the step by deformation in the initial stage that the droplet is blocked. The droplet spreads to two sides along the step when the front end is blocked and is stretched after the front end is passed over the step. The lengths of the lateral spreading and the longitudinal stretching and the time required to pass over the step depend on the strength of the step. In the sliding process, the kinetic energy is converted into surface energy as the droplet is blocked, and the gravitational potential energy is converted into surface and kinetic energy following the droplet passes over the step. If the droplet can slide through the step, the more strength in the step, the more the gravitational potential energy is converted, and the more the surface energy increases. When the strength of the step is small, unbalanced Young's force hinders the contact line moving forward after the central part of the front end of the droplet breaks through the step. While the velocity of droplet sliding slows down with the increasing strength of the step, the unbalanced Young's force pushes the contact line forward against the resistance. These observations throw insight into the dynamics of the droplets sliding on a heterogeneous surface, which may facilitate potential applications like microfluidics and liquid transportation.