Metastable equilibria of capillary drops on solid surfaces: a phase field approach

We discuss a phase field model for the numerical simulation of metastable equilibria of capillary drops resting on rough solid surfaces and for the description of contact angle hysteresis phenomena in wetting. The model is able to reproduce observed transitions of drops on micropillars from Cassie–Baxter to Wenzel states. When supplemented with a dissipation potential which describes energy losses due to frictional forces resisting the motion of the contact line, the model can describe metastable states such as drops in equilibrium on vertical glass plates. The reliability of the model is assessed by a detailed comparison of its predictions with experimental data on the maximal size of water drops that can stick on vertical glass plates which have undergone different surface treatments.