Porous Superhydrophobic Membranes: Hydrodynamic Anomaly in Oscillating Flows

We have fabricated and characterized a novel superhydrophobic system, a mesh-like porous superhydrophobic membrane with solid area fraction $Φ_s$, which can maintain intimate contact with outside air and water reservoirs simultaneously. Oscillatory hydrodynamic measurements on porous superhydrophobic membranes as a function of $Φ_s$ reveal surprising effects. The hydrodynamic mass oscillating in-phase with the membranes stays constant for $0.9\leΦ_s\le1$, but drops precipitously for $Φ_s < 0.9$. The viscous friction shows a similar drop after a slow initial decrease proportional to $Φ_s$. We attribute these effects to the percolation of a stable Knudsen layer of air at the interface.

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