Journal
ADVANCED MATERIALS INTERFACES
Volume 7, Issue 17, Pages -Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/admi.202000731
Keywords
coalescence; cryogenic scanning electron cryomicroscopy; linear elastic deformation; soft surfaces; wetting ridges
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Microscale interactions with deformable substrates are of fundamental interest for studying self-assembly processes and the mobility of cells on soft surfaces, with applications in traction force microscopy. The behavior of microscale water droplets on a soft polymer substrate is investigated. Droplets formed by condensation on the soft substrate are reluctant to coalesce, which leads to coverage of the surface with clusters of droplets assembled in a honeycomb-like pattern. Cryogenically fixed in this state, scanning electron microscopy of these droplets reveals the presence of an intervening wetting ridge of the polymer that acts as a barrier between neighboring droplets and prevents coalescence. A linear elastic deformation model is developed to predict this surface profile and corroborate the observed behavior.
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