title: Probing droplets on superhydrophobic surfaces by synchrotron radiation scattering techniques.
abstract: Droplets on artificially structured superhydrophobic surfaces represent quasi contact-free sample environments which can be probed by X-ray microbeams and nanobeams in the absence of obstructing walls. This review will discuss basic surface wettability concepts and introduce the technology of structuring surfaces. Quasi contact-free droplets are compared with contact-free droplets; processes related to deposition and evaporation on solid surfaces are discussed. Droplet coalescence based on the electrowetting effect allows the probing of short-time mixing and reaction processes. The review will show for several materials of biological interest that structural processes related to conformational changes, nucleation and assembly during droplet evaporation can be spatially and temporally resolved by raster-scan diffraction techniques. Orientational ordering of anisotropic materials deposited during solidification at pinning sites facilitates the interpretation of structural data.
authors: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, Genova 16163, Italy.
authors: Angelo
authors: A
authors: Accardo
authors: Physical Science and Engineering Divisions, KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Enzo
authors: E
authors: Di Fabrizio
authors: Physical Science and Engineering Divisions, KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Tania
authors: T
authors: Limongi
authors: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, Genova 16163, Italy.
authors: Giovanni
authors: G
authors: Marinaro
authors: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, BP 220, 38043 Grenoble Cedex, France.
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Riekel
keywords: biological matter; nanotechnology; superhydrophobic surface; synchrotron radiation micro- and nanodiffraction