Wetting on soft, flexible and adaptive surfaces

In nature, many wetting processes are characterized by the dynamics of the solid substrate. Droplet shape, behaviour and movements can be influenced and controlled by the support.

We generate and study dynamic materials: porous and bulk materials, soft and hard materials which can be switched between different states of surface energy. Switching of the states is induced by light or by mechanical force. Droplet shape and movement dynamics in dependence of the switching patterns underneath the three-phase contact line are investigate towards developping novel functional materials. This project is funded by the DFG within SPP2171.