Macroscopic-wetting anisotropy on the line-patterned surface of fluoroalkylsilane monolayers

Micropatterned fluoroalkylsilane monolayer surfaces with liquidphilic/liquidphobic area (line width 1-20 μm) were prepared with few defects by vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photolithography. The anisotropic wetting of a macroscopic droplet with a 0.5-5 mm diameter on the micropatterned surfaces was investigated. The strong anisotropy of the contact angle and the sliding angle and droplet distortion for fluoroalkylsilane/silanol patterned surfaces was attributed to the difference in the energy barrier of wetting between parallel and orthogonal lines. The wetting anisotropy decreased with decreases in the liquidphilic area. Fluoroalkylsilane/alkylsilane patterned surfaces with small differences in the surface free energies of the components showed anisotropic wetting only for the low-surface-tension liquids.