Achieving large slip with superhydrophobic surfaces: Scaling laws for generic geometries

Abstract

We investigate the hydrodynamic friction properties of superhydrophobic surfaces and quantify their superlubricating potential. On such surfaces, the contact of the liquid with the solid roughness is minimal, while most of the interface is a liquid-gas one, resulting in strongly reduced friction. We obtain scaling laws for the effective slip length at the surface in terms of the generic surface characteristics (roughness length scale, depth, solid fraction of the interface, etc.). These predictions are successfully compared to numerical results in various geometries (grooves, posts or holes). This approach provides a versatile framework for the description of slip on these composite surfaces. Slip lengths up to 100μm are predicted for an optimized patterned surface.