Scientific Achievement
The critical size of jumping droplets is directly correlated with the topography of the underlying nanostructure.
Significance and Impact
Self-propelled, out-of-plane jumping of micro-droplets reduces the size of dropwise condensate by three orders of magnitude, which maximizes condensation heat transfer.
Research Details
- Superhydrophobic silicon nanopillars were fabricated using dewetted platinum films as non-lithographic etch masks.
- The critical (minimum) size of jumping-droplet condensation was observed using high-speed microscopy.
- A model accurately correlates this size to the underlying topography
- Scalable superhydrophobic surfaces also aid in meltwater removal in defrosting.
M.D. Mulroe, B.R. Srijanto, S. F. Ahmadi, C.P. Collier, and J.B. Boreyko, "Tuning superhydrophobic nanostructures to enhance jumping-droplet condensation," ACS Nano 11 (8), 8499-8510 (2017). DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.7b04481
K.M. Murphy, W.T. McClintic, K.C. Lester, C.P. Collier, and J.B. Boreyko, "Dynamic defrosting on scalable superhydrophobic surfaces," ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 9 (28), 24308-24317 (2017). DOI: 10.1021/acsami.7b05651
