Spreading of water on a liquid-infused solid

Liquid-infused solids (LISs) are textured materials infused by oil, which makes them highly slippery for drops of another nonmiscible liquid. In this article, we discuss what happens when a water drop contacts and spreads on such LISs. Focusing on the influence of the oil layer trapped in the texture, we report that, despite lubrication, spreading on a LIS is slower than on a bare solid, even at short times. Yet the dynamics unexpectedly preserves its scaling, which we explain by considering the friction in the film, showing that the slippery nature of LISs can be accompanied by a significant dissipation.

Automated summary

In this article, the spreading process of water droplets on liquid-infused solids (LISs) is investigated. It is found that despite the lubrication effect, the spreading of water droplets on LIS is slower compared to bare solids, even at short times. This phenomenon can be explained by considering the friction in the film, indicating that the slippery nature of LISs can be accompanied by significant dissipation.