Wetting on flexible hydrophilic pillar-arrays

Dynamic wetting on the flexible hydrophilic pillar-arrays is studied using large scale molecular dynamics simulations. For the first time, the combined effect of the surface topology, the intrinsic wettability and the elasticity of a solid on the wetting process is taken into consideration. The direction-dependent dynamics of both liquid and pillars, especially at the moving contact line (MCL), is revealed at atomic level. The flexible pillars accelerate the liquid when the liquid approaches, and pin the liquid when the liquid passes. The liquid deforms the pillars, resulting energy dissipation at the MCL. Scaling analysis is performed based on molecular kinetic theory and validated by our simulations. Our results may expand our knowledge of wetting on pillars and assisting the future design of active control of wetting in practical applications.