Coalescence-induced droplet jumping on superhydrophobic surfaces has significant potential for various applications, such as enhanced condensation, water harvesting, self-cleaning, and thermal management of electronic devices. Existing research focuses primarily on the coalescence and jumping of two or more droplets on the horizontally placed superhydrophobic surface, but the transport behavior of condensate droplets caused by coalescence-induced jumping on the inclined superhydrophobic surface is insufficiently understood. In this work, we investigate the impact of the surface inclination angle on the dynamic behavior of condensate droplets and derive the relationship between the transport distance, transport height, jumping direction of droplets, and the surface inclination angle. Additionally, we establish a droplet motion equation to describe the trajectory of droplets after they jump off the surface. Furthermore, we demonstrate the phenomenon of multi-hop jumping on the inclined superhydrophobic surface, which can increase the droplet transport distance, and the established mathematical model can better predict the multi-hop jumping transport distance. This work exposes the effect of superhydrophobic surface inclination angle on droplet dynamics and droplet directional transport performance, which has significant implications for the application of droplet jumping.
Skip Nav Destination
The transport performance of condensate droplets on inclined superhydrophobic surfaces
Article navigation
17 July 2023
Research Article|
July 17 2023
The transport performance of condensate droplets on inclined superhydrophobic surfaces
Special Collection:
Superhydrophobic Surfaces
Huimin Hou
;
Huimin Hou
(Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Validation, Writing – original draft)
1
Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University
, Beijing 100084, China
Search for other works by this author on:
Xiaomin Wu
;
Xiaomin Wu
a)
(Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Project administration, Supervision, Writing – review & editing)
1
Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University
, Beijing 100084, China
a)Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed: wuxiaomin@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn and nikolatesal@live.com
Search for other works by this author on:
Zhifeng Hu;
Zhifeng Hu
(Formal analysis, Methodology, Writing – review & editing)
1
Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University
, Beijing 100084, China
Search for other works by this author on:
Sihang Gao
;
Sihang Gao
(Investigation, Methodology, Writing – review & editing)
1
Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University
, Beijing 100084, China
Search for other works by this author on:
Zhiping Yuan
Zhiping Yuan
a)
(Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Supervision, Writing – review & editing)
2
Department of Energy and Power Engineering, School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology
, Beijing 100081, China
a)Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed: wuxiaomin@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn and nikolatesal@live.com
Search for other works by this author on:
a)Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed: wuxiaomin@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn and nikolatesal@live.com
Note: This paper is part of the APL Special Collection on Superhydrophobic Surfaces.
Appl. Phys. Lett. 123, 031601 (2023)
Article history
Received:
May 28 2023
Accepted:
June 30 2023
Citation
Huimin Hou, Xiaomin Wu, Zhifeng Hu, Sihang Gao, Zhiping Yuan; The transport performance of condensate droplets on inclined superhydrophobic surfaces. Appl. Phys. Lett. 17 July 2023; 123 (3): 031601. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0159895
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionPay-Per-View Access
$40.00