• International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.13-17
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• 2008

This paper deals with the directional mobility of droplets on structured surfaces. Structured surfaces were micro-patterned with rectangular lines and spaces of varying pitch and height in the sub-millimeter range. The material used was polydimethylsiloxane, which is hydrophobic and wettable by oil. First, we studied the effect of the structural design on the sliding angle of pure water or oil through experiments. For pure water droplets, we found that a wider pitch enhanced the directionality. On the other hand, oil droplets spread along the groove because of their low surface tension and strong capillary force. The directionality of the sliding angle of oil droplets was larger than that of pure water, especially when the groove was narrower and deeper. Second, we poured a large amount of liquid on the structure and evaluated the removal rate on the tilted surface. We found that a parallel structure enhanced the liquid mobility for both pure water and oil.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.61-67
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• 2024

In this study, the behavior of water droplets on a solid-infused surface was evaluated by quantifying a water droplet's contact angle, sliding angle, and terminal velocity. The contact angle hysteresis and sliding angle of water on the solid-infused surface were measured to be lower than those of the hydrophobic PTFE surface. It led to the enhancement of the initiation of the water droplet's movement. When the capillary number was lower than Ca < 0.004, the terminal velocity of the water droplet on the solid-infused surface was higher than the PTFE surface due to the low contact line resistance. However, the transition of the droplet morphology from a hemispherical shape to a streamlined teardrop shape beyond Ca > 0.004 lost the effect of reducing frictional resistance on the solid-infused surface.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.91-96
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• 2024

Recently, extensive studies have been carried out to enhance various performance aspects such as the durability, lifespan, and hardness by combining diverse materials or developing novel materials. The utilization of superhydrophobic surfaces, particularly in the automotive, textile, and medical device industries, has gained momentum to achieve improved performance and efficiency. Superhydrophobicity refers to a surface state where the contact angle when water droplets fall is above 150°, while the contact angle during sliding motion is smaller than 10°. Superhydrophobic surfaces offer the advantage of water droplets not easily sliding off, maintaining a cleaner state as the droplets leave the surface. Surface modification involves two fundamental steps to achieve superhydrophobicity: surface roughness increase and surface energy reduction. However, existing methods, such as time-consuming processes and toxic organic precursors, still face challenges. In this study, we propose a method for superhydrophobic surface modification using lasers, aiming to create roughness in micro/nanostructures, ensuring durability while improving the production time and ease of fabrication. The mechanical durability of superhydrophobic samples treated with lasers is comparatively evaluated against chemical etching samples. The experimental results demonstrate superior mechanical durability through the laser treatment. Therefore, this research provides an effective and practical approach to superhydrophobic surface modification, highlighting the utility of laser treatment.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.123-129
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• 2021

Many plants and animals in nature have superhydrophobic surfaces. This superhydrophobic surface has various properties such as self-cleaning, moisture collection, and anti-icing. In this study, the superhydrophobic properties of PTFE surface were treated by plasma etching. There were four important factors that changed the surface properties. Micro-sized protrusions were formed by plasma etching. The most influential parameter was RF Power. The contact angle of the pristine PTFE surface was about 113.8°. The maximum contact angle of the surface after plasma treatment with optimized parameters was about 168.1°. In this case, the sliding angle was quite small about 1°. These properties made it possible to remove droplets easily from the surface. To verify the self-cleaning effect of the surface, graphite was used to contaminate the surface and remove it with water droplets. Graphite particles were easily removed from the optimized surface compared to the pristine surface. As a result, a surface having water repellency and self-cleaning effects could be produced with optimized plasma etching parameters.

• 한국전산유체공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2008.03b
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• pp.656-657
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• 2008

The droplet dynamics in a hydrophilic/hydrophobic microchannel, which is applicable to a typical proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), is studied numerically by solving the equations governing conservation of mass and momentum. The liquid-gas interface or droplet shape is determined by a level set method which is modified to treat contact angles. The matching conditions at the interface are accurately imposed by incorporating the ghost fluid approach based on a sharp-interface representation. The effects of contact angle, inlet flow velocity, droplet size and side wall on the droplet motion are investigated parametrically. Based on the numerical results, the droplet dynamics including the sliding and detachment of droplets is found to depend significantly on the contact angle. Also, a droplet removal process is demonstrated on the combination of hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.577-585
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• 2015

We fabricated multi-scale such as macro-, micro-, and multi-scale wrinkles by using repetitive volume dividing (RVD) method and thermal curing process. Also wrinkle surface was modified with coating of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM). We measured the contact angle of each wrinkled surface, and observed the behavior of droplets on sloping surface. Through experimental study, we found out that the contact angle was much higher in case of multi-scale and SAM coated wrinkles. And micro-scale wrinkle showed a high contact angle comparing with that of macro-scale wrinkle. Dynamic behaviors of a water droplet like sliding velocity on diverse wrinkled surfaces were dependent on their static contact angles. These results showed that hydro-dynamic characteristics were changed depending on the wrinkle structure and the material forming the wrinkle. These dynamic characteristics can be utilized in bio-chip, microfluidics, and many others in order to control easily chemical reactivity.