Abstract
Micro-patterned surfaces with alternate, hydrophilic, and hydrophobic rectangular areas, effectively confine water droplets down to attolitre volumes. The contact angle, volume, and geometry of the confined droplets as a function of the geometry and physico-chemical properties of the confining surfaces have been determined by phenomenological simulations, validated by Atomic Force Microscopy measurements. The combination between experiments and simulations can be used for the purposeful design of surface-addressable hydrophobicity arrays employed in digital microfluidics and high throughput screening nanoarrays.

DOI: 10.1039/C6LC00622A
Accepted 27 May 2016
First published online 27 May 2016