Predicting Sliding Angles on Random Pit-Distributed Textures Using Probabilistic Neural Networks.

The three-phase contact line best reflects the sliding ability of droplets on solid surfaces. Most studies on the sliding angle (SA) of superhydrophobic surfaces are limited to regularly arranged microtextured surfaces, lacking definite models and effective methods for a complex surface of a random texture. In this study, random pits with an area ratio of 19% were generated on 1 mm × 1 mm subregions, and the subregions formed arrays on a sample surface of 10 mm × 10 mm to obtain a randomly distributed microtexture surface with no pit overlaps. Although the contact angle (CA) of randomly pitted texture was the same, the SA was different. The SA of surfaces was affected by the pit location. The location of random pits increased the complexity of the three-phase contact line movement. The continuity of the three-phase contact angle (T) can reveal the rolling mechanism of the random pit texture and predict the SA, but the relationship between the T and SA is a relatively poor linear relation (R2 = 74%), and the SA of the random pit texture can only be roughly estimated. The quantized pit coordinates and SA were used as the input and output labels for the PNN model, respectively, and the accuracy of the model convergence was 90.2%.

Prediction of Droplet Sliding on the Continuity of the Three-Phase Contact Line.

Many animals and plants have evolved wonderful hydrophobic abilities to adapt to the complex climate environment. The microstructure design of a superhydrophobic surface focuses on bionics and will be restricted by processing technology. Although certain functions can be achieved, there is a lack of unified conclusion on the wetting mechanism and a few quantitative analyses of the continuity of the three-phase contact line. Therefore, the relationship between the surface microstructure of the lattice pattern and the critical sliding angle of the water droplet in the Cassie state was investigated in this paper, and we proposed a method to quantitatively analyze the continuity of the three-phase contact line by a dimensionless length f. The results showed that the three-phase contact line was an important factor to determine the sliding performance of the droplet. The upward traction force generated by the surface tension through the force analysis on the three-phase contact line can enhance the sliding ability of the droplet on the solid surface. There was a good negative linear correlation between the critical sliding angle and dimensionless length, which provided a guiding basis for the optimal design of superhydrophobic surfaces.

Exploring Contact Angle Hysteresis Behavior of Droplets on the Surface Microstructure.

It is confirmed that surfaces with specific microstructures could exhibit good superhydrophobic properties, and there are also a lot of conclusions about droplet hysteresis behavior. However, most of the research methods are based on two-dimensional ideal model and experimental observation at the macroscale. Further research needs to be conducted about the hysteresis behavior of droplets on the microstructure surface under three-dimensional conditions. In this paper, the influence of curvature variation of the liquid surface between pillars on the contact angle hysteresis (CAH) has been investigated. The simulation results were in good agreement with the experimental measurements. Analyses were conducted on the morphology change and force of the liquid surface between pillars, and an index was proposed to describe the degree of difficulty of liquid surface movement. It was revealed that a change in the direction of the surface tension at the three-phase interface caused by curvature variation of the liquid surface between pillars played an important role in the movement of the liquid surface. The greater the surface tension component in the normal direction of the liquid surface, the more likely it was for the liquid surface to advance or recede. The local curvature of the liquid surface increased or the angles between the pillars increased, and the effect of the CAH would be weakened.

Passive Wireless Dual-Tag UHF RFID Sensor System for Surface Crack Monitoring.

The generation and propagation of cracks are critical factors that affect the performance and life of large structures. Therefore, in order to minimize maintenance costs and ensure personal safety, it is necessary to monitor key structures. The sensor based on ultra-high frequency radio frequency identification (UHF RFID) antenna has the advantages of passive wireless, low cost, and great potential in the field of metallic structure health monitoring. In this paper, aimed at the key parts of a metallic structure, a dual-tag system is used for crack monitoring. In conjunction with mode analysis, the principles of the sensing tag and the coupling principles of the dual-tag are analyzed. Considering that the dual-tag is placed in different methods, the effect of mutual coupling on the sensing performance of the tag is studied. The results show that the frequency of the sensing tag can be tuned by adding the interference tag, and the dual-tag sensor system has reasonable sensitivity. The results also provide potential guidance for the optimal placement of multiple tags in the near-field region.