Capillary Adhesion around the Shapes Optimized by Dissolution

Abstract

Abstract Capillary adhesion is so remarkable in micro–nano technology that it can seriously influence accuracy and safety. The shapes optimized by dissolution provide a method to weaken or even eliminate capillary adhesion. Based on the dissolution experiments of soluble fibers, this work demonstrates that the process of dissolution is an optimization of the adhesion force, and the unique geometrical shapes sculpted by dissolution can effectively eliminate capillary adhesion. The mechanism of elimination is relevant to the stability of menisci around the optimized shapes. The surface roughness of soluble fibers is considered to emphasize the significant role of contact angle hysteresis (CAH), and the shapes optimized by dissolution with CAH are in great agreement with the experiment results. This study supplies a promising approach to eliminate capillary adhesion by designing geometrical shapes.

Keywords

• capillary adhesion
• contact angle hysteresis
• dissolution
• interfacial effects
• liquid bridges