Temperature-dependent electrowetting behavior on Teflon AF1600

In the growing application field of electrowetting (EW), reliable control of the wetting behavior by an applied voltage is required over a wide temperature range. Despite the rising interest of EW, only few data are reported in the literature on the EW behavior as a function of temperature. In this paper, we investigate the quasi-static EW response on one of the most widely used hydrophobic materials, Teflon AF1600, in a temperature range from 25 to 70 degrees C. The contact angle versus voltage is analyzed to illustrate the EW behavior. The results are in good agreement with the friction-adsorption model, which explains the contact angle (CA) hysteresis by a temperature-independent friction-like force and a temperature-dependent contribution of liquid adsorption onto a dielectric surface. The EW-CAs show a small asymmetry with respect to the polarity of the applied voltage, which might be due to the temporary and reversible charge trapping on the dielectric layer. The results underline that the different effects of the temperature-independent friction force and the temperature-dependent adsorption need to be taken into account to predict and control the CA in any EW-based application scenario. [GRAPHICS] .

Automated summary

In this study, the electrowetting behavior of Teflon AF1600, a widely used hydrophobic material, was investigated. The results showed that the contact angle of Teflon AF1600 was influenced by both temperature-independent friction force and temperature-dependent liquid adsorption. Understanding the effects of these factors is important for predicting and controlling the contact angle in electrowetting applications.