Electrowetting on dielectrics has been widely used to manipulate and control microliter
or nanoliter liquids in micro-total-analysis systems and laboratory on a
chip. We carried out experiments on electrowetting on a lotus leaf, which is quite
different from the equipotential plate used in conventional electrowetting. This has
not been reported in the past. The lotus leaf is superhydrophobic and a weak
conductor, so the droplet can be easily actuated on it through electrical potential
gradient. The capillary motion of the droplet was recorded by a high-speed camera.
The droplet moved toward the counterelectrode to fulfill the actuation. The actuation
speed could be of the order of 10 mm/s. The actuation time is of the order of
10 ms.