New method allows microdroplets of any shape to form on a surface.
Shapes of water droplets (dark areas) on a textured surface (smaller dots) are determined in a predictable way by the spacing and angles between rows of nanoscale pillars or columns on the surface, the researchers found. Top row (left to right): regular hexagon (green) and square (red). Bottom row (left to right): dodecagon (blue), octagon (orange), rectangle (teal), and hexagon (yellow). Images courtesy of Rishi Raj