Motion of Liquid Drops on Surfaces Induced by Asymmetric Vibration: Role of Contact Angle Hysteresis

Hysteresis of wetting, like the Coulombic friction at solid/solid interface, impedes the motion of a liquid drop on a surface when subjected to an external field. Here, we present a counterintuitive example, where some amount of hysteresis enables a drop to move on a surface when it is subjected to a periodic but asymmetric vibration. Experiments show that a surface either with a negligible or high hysteresis is not conducive to any drop motion. Some finite hysteresis of contact angle is needed to break the periodic symmetry of the forcing function for the drift to occur. These experimental results are consistent with simulations, in which a drop is approximated as a linear harmonic oscillator. The experiment also sheds light on the effect of the drop size on flow reversal, where drops of different sizes move in opposite directions due to the difference in the phase of the oscillation of their center of mass.