Plastrons on Superhydrophobic Surfaces: Mechanics and Applications

Superhydrophobic materials, with their excellent water repellent characteristic, offer low sample loss and non-contaminated transport in microfluidic applications. Underwater, a superhydrophobic surface displays a layer of air, called a plastron, that possesses many useful properties which are yet to be fully studied. This thesis investigates the use of superhydrophobic surfaces and plastrons in novel microfluidic transport applications.