New article published: Kinetics of droplet cloaking and wetting ridge growth on lubricated polymer brushes

In this work, we combine experiments, molecular dynamics simulations, and continuum modelling to investigate wetting ridge growth and droplet cloaking on lubricant-infused polymer brushes. We find that ridge growth creates lubricant depletion zones that drive transport through the brush, slowing the growth dynamics and causing local oil phase separation in highly swollen brushes. To explain these observations, we develop a continuum diffusion model based on brush free energy and contact-line coupling, demonstrating that the overall growth kinetics are governed by diffusive lubricant transport.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1140/epje/s10189-026-00607-6