Preparation of anodic porous alumina with gradient hole size for directional droplet transport

A surface with a wettability gradient can be used as a surface where water droplets transport in one direction. In this report, a surface with a wettability gradient was formed by Al anodization and subsequent gradient etching. Since the surface wettability of anodic porous alumina formed by the Al anodization was dependent on hole size, anodic porous alumina with gradient hole size was prepared to form a surface with a wettability gradient. The surface obtained by this method showed continuously changing wettability, and it was possible to control the range and amount of change in the contact angle of the water droplets by adjusting the hole size. In addition, water droplets were observed to transport spontaneously from an area with a high contact angle to that with a low contact angle on the surface of anodic porous alumina with gradient hole size. The obtained surface with a wettability gradient can be used in various applications, such as microfluidic devices, water collection, and oil–water separation.