Paper detail

Quantitative testing of robustness on super-omniphobic surfaces by drop impact

The quality of a liquid-repellent surface is quantified by both the apparent contact angle $θ_0$ that a sessile drop adopts on it, and the value of the liquid pressure threshold the surface can withstand without being impaled by the liquid, hence keeping a low-friction condition. We designed surfaces covered with nano-wires obtained by the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth technique, that are able to repel most of the existing non-polar liquids including those of very low surface tension, as well as many polar liquids of moderate to high surface tension. These super-omniphobic surfaces exhibit apparent contact angles ranging from 125 to 160$^{\circ}$ depending on the liquid. We tested the robustness of the surfaces against impalement by carrying out drop impact experiments. Our results show how this robustness depends on the Young's contact angle $θ_0$ related to the surface tension of the liquid, and that the orientational growth of NWs is a favorable factor for robustness.