  We investigate the wetting properties of surfaces patterned with fine elastic
hairs, with an emphasis on identifying superhydrophobic states on hydrophilic
hairs. We formulate a two dimensional model of a large drop in contact with a
row of equispaced elastic hairs and, by minimising the free energy of the
model, identify the stable and metastable states. In particular we concentrate
on "partially suspended" states, where the hairs bend to support the drop --
singlet states where all hairs bend in the same direction, and doublet states
where neighbouring hairs bend in opposite directions -- and find the limits of
stability of these configurations in terms of material contact angle, hair
flexibility, and system geometry. The drop can remain suspended in a singlet
state at hydrophilic contact angles, but doublets exist only when the hairs are
hydrophobic. The system is more likely to evolve into a singlet state if the
hairs are inclined at the root. We discuss how, under limited circumstances,
the results can be modified to describe an array of hairs in three dimensions.
We find that now both singlets and doublets can exhibit superhydrophobic
behaviour on hydrophilic hairs. We discuss the limitations of our approach and
the directions for future work.
