Patent ID: 8691104

Claim:
A method to control wetting characteristics of a nanostructured surface, the method comprising: forming a nanostructured surface comprising a plurality of nanostructures, the nanostructured surface defining a nanostructured space between the nanostructures; and controlling structural parameters of the nanostructured surface to control wetting characteristics of the nanostructured surface with respect to a fluid adapted to interact with the nanostructured surface, the structural parameters including one or more of a nanostructure width, nanostructure inclination angle or curvature, nanostructure height, distance between nanostructures, roughness of nanostructure walls, and nanostructured bridging elements between the nanostructures, wherein, upon the controlling of the structural parameters of the nanostructured surface, the fluid interacts with the nanostructured surface according to a desired interaction between the fluid and the nanostructured surface, the desired interaction between the fluid and the nanostructured surface is selected from the group consisting of: a first wetting characteristic resulting in droplet formation on the nanostructured surface while substantially avoiding lodging of the fluid within the nanostructured space with subsequent expulsion or evaporation of the fluid from the nanostructured space, a second wetting characteristic resulting in initial lodging of the fluid within the nanostructured space with subsequent expulsion or evaporation of the fluid from the nanostructured space, and a third wetting characteristic resulting in initial lodging of the fluid within the nanostructured space with subsequent expulsion or evaporation of the fluid from the nanostructured space, the lodging occurring at a slower rate than a rate of the second wetting characteristic.