Equilibrium wetting on rough surfaces is discussed in terms of the “competition” between complete liquid penetration into the roughness grooves and entrapment of air bubbles inside the grooves underneath the liquid. The former is the homogeneous wetting regime, usually described by the Wenzel equation. The latter is the heterogeneous wetting regime that is described by the Cassie−Baxter equation. Understanding this “competition” is essential for the design of ultrahydrophobic surfaces. The present discussion puts the Wenzel and Cassie−Baxter equations into proper mathematical−thermodynamic perspective and defines the conditions for determining the transition between the homogeneous and heterogeneous wetting regimes. In particular, a new condition that is necessary for the existence of the heterogeneous wetting regime is added. It is demonstrated that when this condition is violated, the homogeneous wetting regime is in effect, even though the Cassie−Baxter equation may be satisfied.

To learn how to mimic the Lotus effect, superhydrophobicity of a model system that resembles the Lotus leaf is theoretically discussed. Superhydrophobicity is defined by two criteria: a very high water contact angle and a very low roll-off angle. Since it is very difficult to calculate the latter for rough surfaces, it is proposed here to use the criterion of a very low wet (solid-liquid) contact area as a simple, approximate substitute for the roll-off angle criterion. It is concluded that nature employs metastable states in the heterogeneous wetting regime as the key to superhydrophobicity on Lotus leaves. This strategy results in two advantages: (a) it avoids the need for high steepness protrusions that may be sensitive to breakage and (b) it lowers the sensitivity of the superhydrophobic states to the protrusion distance.

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The possibility of making high-contact-angle, rough surfaces from low-contact-angle materials has recently been suggested and demonstrated. A thermodynamic analysis of this possibility in terms of feasibility and stability is presented. It turns out that only roughness topographies that conform to a feasibility condition which is developed in the present paper can support this phenomenon. Even under conditions that support the phenomenon, the high-contact-angle state may not be stable, and transition from the heterogeneous (Cassie-Baxter) wetting regime to the homogeneous (Wenzel) regime with a lower contact angle may occur. In addition, it is suggested to use the general terms hygrophilic and hygrophobic (based on the Greek prefix hygro- that means liquid) to describe low- and high-contact-angle surfaces, respectively.

The surface wettability of biomaterials determines the biological cascade of events at the biomaterial/host interface. Wettability is modulated by surface characteristics, such as surface chemistry and surface topography. However, the design of current implant surfaces focuses mainly on specific micro- and nanotopographical features and is still far from predicting the concomitant wetting behavior. There is an increasing interest in understanding the wetting mechanisms of implant surfaces and the role of wettability on the biological response at the implant/bone or implant/soft tissue interface. Fundamental knowledge related to the influence of surface roughness (i.e., a quantification of surface topography) on titanium and titanium alloy surface wettability, and the different associated wetting regimes, can improve our understanding of the role of wettability of rough implant surfaces on the biological outcome. Such an approach has been applied to biomaterial surfaces only in a limited way. Focusing on titanium dental and orthopaedic implants, the present study reviews the current knowledge on the wettability of biomaterial surfaces, encompassing basic and applied aspects that include measurement techniques, thermodynamic aspects of wetting, and models predicting topographical and roughness effects on the wetting behavior.