Uphill airflow transport of drops on superhydrophobic inclines

The ability of uphill droplet transport on a superhydrophobic surface incline using airflow was demonstrated. Analytical equations were found to describe the droplet volume at detachment at various inclination angles for the range of physical parameters applied. A pinching off behavior with necking prior to detachment was observed in which a constant time to rupture of 3.2 × 10− 2 s from a neck thickness of 1 × 10− 3 m was found regardless of the inclination angle used. The approach provided rapid uphill translation of 33 droplets per second and incurs limited aerosolization due to the small forces in action.

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