Experimental Modelling of Hydrophobic Surfaces from Plant Leaves

Abstract

Natural surfaces offer valuable insights into the mechanisms of hydrophobicity. Characterizing these surfaces through the contact angle of droplets provides a direct quantification. The widely used but debated Cassie-Baxter model attempts to relate contact angle with surface topography and liquid wetting properties. Surface tension establishes an initial chemical affinity in wetting, and surface roughness is known to enhance hydrophobicity. However, research lacks standardized metrics to explain how topography influences this behavior. In this study, we introduce a new model for droplet balance that complements the Cassie-Baxter model by considering the latest research findings on the significant effect of the triple line on droplet contact angle. We characterized the surfaces of accessible leaves using ISO standard roughness parameters, contact angle measurements, and surface topography analysis through confocal microscopy. Statistical screening of roughness parameters identified those with high correlation to contact angle model parameters, enabling the quantification of the effect of standard metrics of surface topography on contact angle through the model. Our results provide an enriched contact angle model that incorporates parameters capable of linking contact angle with the assessment of surface topography measured through engineering metrics, paving the way to emulate natural hydrophobicity on engineered surfaces.

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