Computational and theoretical models of millimeter-sized bubbles placed on upright hydrophobic and superhydrophobic surfaces are compared with experimental data here. Although the experimental data for a hydrophobic surface corroborated the computational and theoretical data, the case of a superhydrophobic surface showed the bubbles to be able to contain significantly larger volumes than predicted. This is attributed to the greater ability of the bubble contact line to advance compared with its tendency to detach from the surface because of buoyancy. We surmise that a static model therefore describes only an unstable equilibrium for these bubbles, which unless heavily isolated from external influences are more likely to assume a larger stable size.

It is often assumed that droplets dispensed into standard microplate wells will automatically fill their bottoms. We show here by computational simulation and experimental verification that the ability to fill the well bottom is dependent on the surface wetting characteristics. The release of droplets at the center was also found to fill the well bottom better than droplet dispensation in contact with the well wall. Hydrophobic surfaces required higher liquid volumes to fill the well bottom; unlike the case with capillary wells microplates. This renders standard microplate wells less amenable for use in small volume liquid handling; a feature that is increasingly sought after in screening and studies involving scarce agents.