In this study, we developed a general method to analytically tackle a kind of movable boundary problem from the viewpoint of energy variation. Having grouped the adhesion of a micro-beam, droplet and carbon nanotube (CNT) ring on a substrate into one framework, we used the developed line of reasoning to investigate the adhesion behaviors of these systems. Based upon the derived governing equations and transversality conditions, explicit solutions involving the critical parameters and morphologies for the three systems are successfully obtained, and then the parameter analogies and common characteristics of them are thoroughly investigated. The presented method has been verified via the concept of energy release rate in fracture mechanics. Our analyses provide a new approach for exploring the mechanism of different systems with similarities as well as for understanding the unity of nature. The analysis results may be beneficial for the design of nano-structured materials, and hold potential for enhancing their mechanical, chemical, optical and electronic properties.
In this study,we considered the wetting phenomenon on a general substrate from a new viewpoint of continuum mechanics.The analyses first show how the Wenzel and the Cassie models deviate the practical results in some special substrates,and then elucidate the mechanism of the triple contact line(TCL) moving.Based upon variational theory of the total free functional dealing with the movable boundary condition,we show that the macroscopic contact angle(MCA) expression is the corresponding transversality condition.It manifests that the MCA depends only on the chemical and geometric property at the TCL,and is not affected by the gravity of the droplet and the contact area beneath the liquid.Our continuum model also shows the exploration of the pinning effect on a sharp wedge or the interface between two different phases.This investigation will help designing super-hydrophobic materials for novel micro-fluidic devices.
