Leidenfrost droplet jet engine by bubble ejection

Abstract

HypothesisDespite the flourishing studies of Leidenfrost droplet motion in its boiling regime, the droplet motion across different boiling regimes has rarely been focused on, where bubbles are generated at the solid–liquid interface. These bubbles are probable to dramatically alter the dynamics of Leidenfrost droplets, creating some intriguing phenomena of droplet motion. ExperimentsHydrophilic, hydrophobic, and superhydrophobic substrates with a temperature gradient are designed, and Leidenfrost droplets with diverse fluid types, volumes, and velocities travel from the hot end to the cold end of the substrate. The behaviors of droplet motion across different boiling regimes are recorded and depicted in a phase diagram. FindingsA special phenomenon of Leidenfrost droplets that resembles a jet engine is witnessed on a hydrophilic substrate with a temperature gradient: the droplet traveling across boiling regimes repulsing itself backward. The mechanism of repulsive motion is the reverse thrust from fierce bubble ejection when droplets meet nucleate boiling regime, which cannot take place on hydrophobic and superhydrophobic substrates. We further demonstrate that conflicting droplet motions can occur in similar conditions, and a model is developed to predict the occurring criteria of this phenomenon for droplets in diverse working conditions, which agrees well with the experimental data.