The study of interaction of superhydrophobic (SH) materials with fluids using TSM sensors

Recent progress in nanotechnology has lead to development of novel materials with very unique superhydrophobic (SH) properties. In this paper, we study the thickness-shear mode (TSM) sensing technique as a potential measurement tool for characterization of SH properties of materials. The TSM sensors, coated with different SH thin films were capable to differentiate between a range of the SH properties of those films though the contact angle of those films, measured with optical techniques, have shown similar values. Also, the TSM sensors, coated with some of those SH films, exhibited almost zero attenuation and very small frequency shift when loaded with deionized water, which indicated a presence of significant slip in the mechanical interfacial boundary conditions. The observed sensitivity of the TSM technique to nanoscale-level structural features of SH films suggests that TSM sensing technology may provide more sensitive means for measurements and characterization of superhydrophobicity in comparison to the existing SH measurement techniques