title: Adhesion of Microdroplets on Water-Repellent Surfaces toward the Prevention of Surface Fouling and Pathogen Spreading by Respiratory Droplets.
abstract: Biofouling caused by the adhesion of respiratory microdroplets generated in sneezing and coughing plays an important role in the spread of many infectious diseases. Although water-repellent surfaces are widely used for the long-term repellency of aqueous solutions, their repellency to pathogen-containing microdroplets is elusive. In this work, microdroplets from picoliter to nanoliter were successfully generated in a controlled manner to mimic the exhaled microdroplets in sneezing and coughing, which allowed us to evaluate the adhesion of microdroplets on both superhydrophobic and lubricant-infused "slippery" surfaces for the first time. The impact and retention of water microdroplets on the two water-repellent surfaces are compared and investigated. Microdroplet-mediated surface biofouling and pathogen transmission were also demonstrated. Our results suggested that the adhesion of microdroplets should be duly considered in the design and application of water-repellent surfaces on biofouling prevention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, ‡School of Veterinary Medicine, and §Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong , 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jieke
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, ‡School of Veterinary Medicine, and §Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong , 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Hengdi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, ‡School of Veterinary Medicine, and §Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong , 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Wenqing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, ‡School of Veterinary Medicine, and §Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong , 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Tianzhong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, ‡School of Veterinary Medicine, and §Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong , 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Hualin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, ‡School of Veterinary Medicine, and §Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong , 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2798-2932
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, ‡School of Veterinary Medicine, and §Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong , 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Meijin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, ‡School of Veterinary Medicine, and §Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong , 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Zhaoyue
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, ‡School of Veterinary Medicine, and §Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong , 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Zuankai
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3510-1122
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, ‡School of Veterinary Medicine, and §Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong , 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xi
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8986-3571
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yao
mesh_terms: D057219:Biofouling; D054327:Lubricants; D013499:Surface Properties; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D054327:Lubricants; D014867:Water
keywords: aerosol; antibiofouling; lubricant-infused; microdroplets; superhydrophobic