A Comprehensive Review of Wetting Transition Mechanism on the Surfaces of Microstructures from Theory and Testing Methods

Abstract

Superhydrophobic surfaces have been widely employed in both fundamental research and industrial applications because of their self-cleaning, waterproof, and low-adhesion qualities. Maintaining the stability of the superhydrophobic state and avoiding water infiltration into the microstructure are the basis for realizing these characteristics, while the size, shape, and distribution of the heterogeneous microstructures affect both the static contact angle and the wetting transition mechanism. Here, we review various classical models of wettability, as well as the advanced models for the corrected static contact angle for heterogeneous surfaces, including the general roughness description, fractal theory description, re-entrant geometry description, and contact line description. Subsequently, we emphasize various wetting transition mechanisms on heterogeneous surfaces. The advanced testing strategies to investigate the wetting transition behavior will also be analyzed. In the end, future research priorities on the wetting transition mechanisms of heterogeneous surfaces are highlighted.