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The transport of small quantities of liquid on a solid surface is inhibitedby the resistance to motion caused by the contact between the liquid and thesolid. To overcome such resistance, motion can be externally driven throughgradients in electric fields, but these all inconveniently involve the input ofexternal energy. Alternatively, gradients in physical shape and wettability -the conical shape of cactus spines to create self-propelled motion. However,such self-propelled motion to date has limited success in overcoming theinherent resistance to motion of the liquid contact with the solid. Here wepropose a simple solution in the form of shaped-liquid surface, where solidtopographic structures at one length scale provides the base for a smallerlength-scale liquid conformal layer. This dual-length scale render possibleslippery surfaces with superhydrophobic properties. Combined to anheterogeneous topography, it provides a gradient in liquid-on-liquidwettability with minimal resistance to motion and long range directionalself-propelled droplet transport. Moreover, the liquid-liquid contact enablesimpacting droplets to be captured and transported, even when the substrate isinverted. These design principles are highly beneficial for droplet transportin microfluidics, self-cleaning surfaces, fog harvesting and in heat transfer.

Self-Propelled Droplet Transport on Shaped-Liquid Surfaces