How Superhydrophobic Grooves Drive Single-Droplet Jumping

Rapid shedding of microdroplets enhances the performance of self-cleaning, anti-icing, water-harvesting, and condensation heat-transfer surfaces. Coalescence-induced droplet jumping represents one of the most efficient microdroplet shedding approaches and is fundamentally limited by weak fluid-subst...

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Veröffentlicht in:Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids. - 1992. - 38(2022), 14 vom: 12. Apr., Seite 4452-4460
1. Verfasser: Chu, Fuqiang (VerfasserIn)
Weitere Verfasser: Yan, Xiao, Miljkovic, Nenad
Format: Online-Aufsatz
Sprache:English
Veröffentlicht: 2022
Zugriff auf das übergeordnete Werk:Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids
Schlagworte:Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. Water 059QF0KO0R
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Rapid shedding of microdroplets enhances the performance of self-cleaning, anti-icing, water-harvesting, and condensation heat-transfer surfaces. Coalescence-induced droplet jumping represents one of the most efficient microdroplet shedding approaches and is fundamentally limited by weak fluid-substrate dynamics, resulting in a departure velocity smaller than 0.3u, where u is the capillary-inertia-scaled droplet velocity. Laplace pressure-driven single-droplet jumping from rationally designed superhydrophobic grooves has been shown to break conventional capillary-inertia energy transfer paradigms by squeezing and launching single droplets independent of coalescence. However, this interesting droplet shedding mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate single-droplet jumping from superhydrophobic grooves by examining its dependence upon surface and droplet configurations. Using a volume of fluid (VOF) simulation framework benchmarked with optical visualizations, we verify the Laplace pressure contrast established within the groove-confined droplet that governs single-droplet jumping. An optimal departure velocity of 1.13u is achieved, well beyond what is currently available using condensation on homogeneous or hierarchical superhydrophobic structures. We further develop a jumping/non-jumping regime map in terms of surface wettability and initial droplet volume and demonstrate directional jumping under asymmetric confinement. Our work reveals key fluid-structure interactions required for the tuning of droplet jumping dynamics and guides the design of interfaces and materials for enhanced microdroplet shedding for a plethora of applications
Beschreibung:Date Completed 13.04.2022
Date Revised 04.05.2022
published: Print-Electronic
Citation Status MEDLINE
ISSN:1520-5827
DOI:10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c00373