Pinning-depinning of the contact line on nanorough surfaces

We study the pinning-depinning phenomenon of a contact line on a solid surface decorated by a random array of nanometric structures. For this purpose, we have investigated the contact angle hysteresis behaviour of six different wetting and non-wetting fluids with surface tensions varying from 25 to 72mN m^-1. For low values of the areal density of defects φ_d, the hysteresis H increases linearly with φ_d indicating that “individual” defects pin the contact line. Then, from a given value of φ_d, the hysteresis H becomes to decrease with increasing φ_d, indicating a new kind of collective depinning. These two regimes were observed for all fluids used. In both cases, our experimental results are compared with the theoretical predictions for contact angle hysteresis induced by single or multiple topographical defects. We ascribe the decrease of H to the formation of cavities along the wetting front.