Drop Surface Tension Research Articles

Investigation of the double layer structure of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate at the air-water interface using sum-frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy.

The interfacial structure and adsorption behavior of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate ionic liquids (ILs) aqueous solutions were investigated using sum-frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG-VS) and surface tension measurements. Polarization-dependent measurements revealed a dramatic increase in the SFG signal for both CH and CN stretching modes with increasing ILs concentration, reaching a maximum at a mole fraction of 0.01. This concentration dependence was accompanied by a dramatic drop in surface tension. Upon further increasing the concentration, surface tension varied slightly and reached a constant value, while the SFG signal decreased significantly. Quantitative polarization analysis showed that as the bulk concentration increased, the apparent molecular orientation of the SCN- transition dipole at the interface changed from 51° to 46°, and the tilt angle of CH3 group of the butyl chain attached to the imidazole cationic ring changed from 18° to 32°. The decrease in the SFG signal can be explained by the formation of a double layer adsorption structure at the air/water interface. It was also demonstrated that the anions were adsorbed at the interface simultaneously with the cationic group, rather than by successive adsorption as proposed in a previous study. Using the Shereshefsky model, the thermodynamic Gibbs free energy of adsorption deduced from surface tension data was compared with SFG results.

Yttrium induced formation of new pores in an as-cast nickel-based single crystal superalloy

Pores are the most fatal defects in single crystal superalloys, which severely deteriorates the mechanical properties. Yttrium (Y) has been applied in commercial superalloys, but its effect on the morphology change of casting pores is not clear. This work focuses on the effect of Y on the evolution of pores formed after directional solidification in a second-generation superalloy. SEM, TEM and XRT were used to characterize the pores, and Thermo-Calc was used to calculate the surface tension change during the solidification process. Results show that, besides the formation of two types of conventional shrinkage pores during solidification, new types of pores, i.e., Type III and Type IV, due to the addition of Y element to 0.5 wt% in superalloy, were also observed. The formation of Type III pore could be ascribed to the surface tension drop in the liquid phase, which enhances the wettability at the solid/liquid interface, and promotes the mobility of liquid phase, due to the incorporation of Y element. The formation of Type IV pore is due to the simultaneous formation and growth of M23C6 and Ni3Al in the Ni5Y phase, triggering the formation of closed zone with a small but irregular shape at the multi-phase interface.

Unmasking quantum effects in the surface thermodynamics of fluid nanodrops.

The focus of our study is an in-depth investigation of the quantum effects associated with the surface tension and other thermodynamic properties of nanoscopic liquid drops. The behavior of drops of quantum Lennard-Jones fluids is investigated with path-integral Monte Carlo simulations, and the test-area method is used to determine the surface tension of the spherical vapor-liquid interface. As the thermal de Broglie wavelength, λB, becomes more significant, the average density of the liquid drop decreases, with the drop becoming mechanically unstable at large wavelengths. As a consequence, the surface tension is found to decrease monotonically with λB, vanishing altogether for dominant quantum interactions. Quantum effects can be significant, leading to values that are notably lower than the classical thermodynamic limit, particularly for smaller drops. For planar interfaces (with infinite periodicity in the direction parallel to the interface), quantum effects are much less significant with the same values of λB but are, nevertheless, consequential for values representative of hydrogen or helium-4 at low temperatures corresponding to vapor-liquid coexistence. Large quantum effects are found for small drops of molecules with quantum interactions corresponding to water, ethane, methanol, and carbon dioxide, even at ambient conditions. The notable decrease in the density and tension has important consequences in reducing the Gibbs free-energy barrier of a nucleating cluster, enhancing the nucleation kinetics of liquid drops and of bubble formation. This implies that drops would form at a much greater rate than is predicted by classical nucleation theory.

Phase separation dynamics in wetting ridges of polymer surfaces swollen with oils of different viscosities.

When drops are placed on a sufficiently soft surface, the drop surface tension drives an out of plane deformation around the contact line (i.e., a wetting ridge). For soft elastomeric surfaces that are swollen with a liquid, capillarity from a drop can induce a phase separation in the wetting ridge. Using confocal microscopy, we study the dynamics of phase separation at the wetting ridge of glycerol drops on silicone elastomers, which are swollen with silicone oils of varying viscosity (i.e., molecular weight). We show that the viscosity of the swelling oil plays a large role in the oil separation size and separation rate. For networks swollen to near their maximum swelling (i.e., saturated), lower viscosity oil separates more and separates faster at early times compared to larger viscosity oil. During late-stage wetting, the growth rate of the separation is a function of viscosity and swelling ratio, which can be described by a simple diffusive model and a defined wetting ridge geometry. In this late-stage wetting, the higher viscosity oil evidently grows faster, likely because it is further from reaching equilibrium. Interestingly, the separated oil phase region grows with a nearly constant, geometrically similar shape. Understanding how phase separation occurs on swollen substrates should provide information on how to control drop spreading, sliding, adhesion, or friction on such surfaces.

Optimization of Pseudomonas putida SOL10 Biosurfactant Production Using Cost-Effective Substrates

Natural resources as a substitute energy source in recent technological advancements have resulted in the production of biosurfactants. In order to reduce production costs and maximise yield, the current work replaces expensive yeast extract with less expensive substrates and optimises temperature, pH, and agitation. Pseudomonas putida SOL10 produced biosurfactants using a variety of substrates, such as red beans, molasses, whey, potato peels, olive oil, castor oil, crude oil, kerosene oil, and leftover cooking oil. These sources were utilised singly with an inducer, urea. Surface tension and oil displacement assays were used to measure the generation of biosurfactants. The combination of 1% potato peels, 2% leftover cooking oil, and 0.1% urea produced the highest amount of biosurfactant at 30˚C, 9.5 pH, and 150 rpm of agitation. There was a drop in surface tension of up to 29 mN/m with a 6.7 cm ODA zone.

Cell surface hydrophobicity and petroleum hydrocarbon degradation by biofilm-forming marine bacterium Pseudomonas furukawaii PPS-19 under different physicochemical stressors

Biofilm-forming marine bacterium Pseudomonas furukawaii PPS-19 showed strong hydrophobicity under different physicochemical stressors, such as pH and salinity. Strong aggregation of P. furukawaii PPS-19 was observed at hydrophobic interfaces of n-dodecane and crude oil, while uptake of pyrene resulted in blue fluorescence of the bacterium. Changes in biofilm microcolonies were observed under different physicochemical stressors with maximum biofilm thickness of 15.15 µm and 15.77 µm at pH 7% and 1% salinity, respectively. Relative expression analysis of alkB2 gene revealed the maximum expression in n-dodecane (10.5 fold) at pH 7 (1 fold) and 1% salinity (8.3 fold). During the degradation process, a significant drop in surface tension resulted in increased emulsification activity. P. furukawaii PPS-19 showed the respective n-dodecane and pyrene degradation of 94.3% and 81.5% at pH 7% and 94.5% and 83% at 1% salinity. A significant positive correlation was obtained between cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH), biofilm formation, and PHs degradation (P < 0.05) under all the physicochemical stressors, with the highest value at pH 7% and 1% salinity. Analysis of metabolites indicated that mono-terminal oxidation and multiple pathways were followed for n-dodecane and pyrene biodegradation, respectively. Thus, P. furukawaii PPS-19 is an efficient hydrocarbonoclastic bacterium that may be exploited for large-scale oil pollution abatement.

Lattice Boltzmann modelling of colloidal suspensions drying in porous media accounting for local nanoparticle effects

A two-dimensional (2-D) double-distribution lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is implemented to study isothermal drying of a colloidal suspension considering local nanoparticle effects. The two LBMs solve isothermal two-phase flow and nanoparticle transport, respectively. The three local nanoparticle effects on the fluid dynamics considered in this paper are viscosity increase, surface tension drop and local drying rate reduction. The proposed model is first validated by the study of the drying of a 2-D suspended colloidal droplet for two different Péclet numbers, where the evolution of the diameter squared agrees well with experimental results. The model is further validated looking at drying of a colloid in a 2-D capillary tube with two open ends. Compared with experimental results, the best agreement in terms of deposition profile and drying time is obtained when considering all three nanoparticle effects. Afterwards, we apply the model to investigate the complicated drying of a colloidal suspension in a 2-D porous asphalt, considering all three local nanoparticle effects. The drying dynamics, resultant nanoparticle transport, accumulation and deposition are first analysed for a base case. Then a parametric study is conducted varying the initial nanoparticle concentration, porous medium contact angle, nanoparticle contact angle and nanoparticle diffusion coefficient. The influence of these parameters on drying dynamics, drying rate, deposition process and final deposition configurations is analysed in detail, together with the mutual influence of local nanoparticle behaviour. Finally, a unified relation between the average drying rate and the studied parameters is proposed and verified, covering the full parameter ranges of simulations.

Inducing hydrophobicity in saline soils: A comparison of hydrophobic agents and mechanisms

Hydrophobized soils (or so-called artificial hydrophobic soils) are a novel geomaterial with a great potential in engineering applications due to its low affinity to water. For saline soils, hydrophobizing such soils can mitigate the soil salinization and subsequent engineering disasters such as salt expansion and corrosion by chlorides. To induce soil hydrophobicity, hydrophobic agents are widely used such as organo-silanes, fatty acids, and waxes. Correspondingly, the engineering properties and durability of these hydrophobized soils have been comprehensively investigated. However, all these studies focused on the clean mineral soils, i.e., the soils without salts and in a moderate pH. For saline soils, the feasibility, stability and durability of these hydrophobic agents are unclear. This paper aims to propose suitable and feasible hydrophobic agents in hydrophobizing saline soils, by investigating its hydrophobicity change and having an insight into the mechanisms. The saline soils used were collected from Qinghai, China, and were treated by five different hydrophobic agents at different concentrations, with the hydrophobicity quantified by water drop penetration time, surface tension and contact angle. The soil hydrophobicity change was recorded after the treatment and wetting-drying cycles, in order to assess its stability and durability. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectrum and N2 adsorption experiment were carried out to study the mechanism of soil hydrophobicity formation and degradation. The results showed two agents, namely Sodium methyl siliconate and Polymethylhydrosiloxane, provided the greatest and most durable hydrophobicity in saline soils. Their different formation mechanisms at particle- and nano-scale were also discussed. A further assessment on the soil mechanical properties revealed that both compaction behavior and strength were negligibly influenced by these two agents.

Horizontal microbial fuel cell system producing biosurfactants in response to current generation from waste cooking oil as a fuel

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are recognised as a platform technology, where several processes take place at the same time, including electricity generation. In this study, for the first time, the horizontal MFC system is proposed, capable of synthesizing biosurfactants, where their quantity is directly correlated with the power production. Waste rapeseed oil was used as a sustainable fuel to drive both processes. Initially, all tested MFCs worked as vertical systems where only negligible power generation was noted. Therefore, the MFCs were reconfigured to work as passive, horizontally-aligned system while vertical, agitated control was also investigated. Only a slight reduction of surface tension, resulted from biosurfactant synthesis, was observed in the anolyte in an agitated vertical MFC system, which produced a maximum power density of 2.37 W m−3. The horizontal MFC system led to an increase in electricity production of 104.7 % to 4.84 W m−3. Furthermore, an increase in current generation was accompanied by an increase in biosurfactant production which was observed by the drop of surface tension in anodic chamber to 50.7 mN m−1. Significant, direct correlation (r = -0.77) between power and biosurfactant generation was noted. The results showed that it is possible to establish the energy net positive production of biosurfactants, through an appropriately designed MFC system, and provided the first evidence, that the biosynthesis process is a direct response of current generation. These results represent a novel approach in monitoring of the biosynthesis of surfactants solely through the use of electrical signal and design of bioelectrochemical systems. This process occurs through electrofermentative pathways, assisted with the extracellular electron transport.

Computing the viscous effect in early-time drop impact dynamics

The impact of a liquid drop on a solid surface involves many intertwined physical effects, and is influenced by drop velocity, surface tension, ambient pressure and liquid viscosity, among others. Experiments by Kolinski et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 112, no. 13, 2014b, p. 134501) show that the liquid–air interface begins to deviate away from the solid surface even before contact. They found that the lift-off of the interface starts at a critical time that scales with the square root of the kinematic viscosity of the liquid. To understand this, we study the approach of a liquid drop towards a solid surface in the presence of an intervening gas layer. We take a numerical approach to solve the Navier–Stokes equations for the liquid, coupled to the compressible lubrication equations for the gas, in two dimensions. With this approach, we recover the experimentally captured early time effect of liquid viscosity on the drop impact, but our results show that lift-off time and liquid kinematic viscosity have a more complex dependence than the square-root scaling relationship. We also predict the effect of interfacial tension at the liquid–gas interface on the drop impact, showing that it mediates the lift-off behaviour.

Влияние гомогенной нуклеации на параметры пара вблизи поверхности испарения: упрощенный подход

An approach that makes it possible to assess the need to take into account / neglect the process of homogeneous nucleation on the flow of vapor formed near the interface as a result of evaporation is presented. It is shown that estimations require information about the value of the coefficient of surface tension of drops of critical size. The influence of the homogeneous nucleation process on the evaporation of various substances: water, ethanol, and methanol is considered. The results show that for water, consideration of the process of homogeneous nucleation is necessary only for degrees of supersaturation greater than 20, in contrast to the evaporation of methanol, when homogeneous nucleation must be taken into account at any degree of supersaturation.

Passage of surfactant-laden and particle-laden drops through a contraction

The flow of either particle-laden or surfactant-laden drops through a contraction under an imposed pressure has been investigated in a microfluidic setup. The drop deformation generates surface concentration gradients in adsorbed species, which results in surface tension gradients. Crossing of the contraction is driven by the coupling between the drop flow and surface tension gradients and can result in larger passage times for surfactant-laden drops.

Isolation and Characterization of Biosurfactant-Producing Bacteria from Amapaense Amazon Soils.

The objective of this research was to perform screening of biosurfactant-producing bacteria from Amapaense Amazon soils. Floodplain- and upland-forest soils of three municipalities of the Amapá state were isolated and identified. The isolates were cultured in nutrient broth with olive oil, and their extracts were evaluated according to drop collapse, oil dispersion, emulsification, and surface tension tests. From three hundred and eighteen isolates, the 43 bacteria were selected and identified by 16S rDNA gene sequencing, indicating the presence of three different genera, Serratia, Paenibacillus, and Citrobacter. The extracellular biosurfactant production pointed out the 15 most efficient bacteria that presented high emulsification capacity (E24 > 48%) and stability (less than 10% of drop after 72 h) and great potential to reduce the surface tension (varying from 49.40 to 34.50 mN·m−1). Cluster analysis classified genetically related isolates in different groups, which can be connected to differences in the amount or the sort of biosurfactants. Isolates from Serratia genus presented better emulsification capacity and produced a more significant surface tension drop, indicating a promising potential for biotechnological applications.

Thermophysical Properties of Pipe Steel in the Liquid State

The temperature dependences of the kinematic viscosity and surface tension of liquid pipe steel with different modes of melt preparation were investigated. A transition zone was found on the temperature dependences of the thermophysical properties, which separates the regions with different activation energies of viscous flow and surface tension. At the heating stage in the transition zone, the thermal decomposition of clusters based on cementite Fe3C occurs. As a result of the decomposition, free carbon atoms appear which tend to give a uniform distribution in liquid iron with increasing temperature. At a low content of alloying elements and impurities, a high-temperature melt should have a large-scale cluster structure, which provides a more uniform distribution of chemical elements. The melt after vacuum degassing has a narrow transition zone near 1920 K, in contrast to the wide transition zone of the melt without vacuum degassing. The wider transition zone is shifted to high-temperature and this shift is associated with the thermal decomposition of carbides and oxides. Studies have shown that heating liquid pipe steel above the temperature of the liquid–liquid structural transition makes it possible to obtain a more homogeneous structure with a more uniform distribution of alloying and impurity elements in the melt. The sharp drop in surface tension at temperatures above 1920 K in the melt without vacuum degassing is associated with the diffusion of free S and O atoms, which are released after thermal decomposition of sulfides and oxides.

Physical and chemical effects of isopropanol exchange in cement-based materials

Drying cement-based materials is a necessary step to characterize the microstructure by microscopy, adsorption, or mercury intrusion. The isopropanol (IPA) exchange method is commonly used to replace the pore solution prior to drying, as it reduces the capillary pressure and thereby helps to preserve the microstructure of the hydrated cementitious materials. However, some physical and chemical effects of IPA on hydration products have been reported. These effects cannot be completely avoided, but can be reduced by shortening the exchange duration, in particular for effects on ettringite. This study carried out experiments with different exchange durations and IPA removal techniques to address research gaps in the literature. For 1-mm cubes of cement paste with IPA diffusion coefficient of 1 × 10−11 m2/s, the compared exchange durations are 5 min, 15 min (value from the literature), 40 min (when the mixture at the sample center achieves 95% of the drop in surface tension from water to IPA), 80 min (when the IPA/water mixture at the sample center reaches an azeotrope), 5 h (when over 99% IPA is replaced at the sample center), and 24 h (prolonged exchange). After IPA exchange, samples were either directly dried at 40 °C with flushing N2 or washed by diethyl ether prior to N2 drying. Even though the exchange duration of 40 and 80 min, in theory, can reduce the damage from capillary pressure, the nitrogen adsorption results do not show any advantage in preventing microstructural alteration. The 5-h exchange provided results similar to the 24-h exchange, but the latter induced slightly more serious chemical effects resulting from the longer contact of IPA with hydration products. In addition, the compared IPA removal techniques do not show significant differences. Therefore, this study suggests using small samples (~1 mm) for microstructural studies following IPA exchange for a period corresponding to the time when 99% of the water (mole fraction) at the sample center is replaced.

Potential antimicrobial and antiadhesive activity of crude bio-surfactants produced by Leuconostoc sp strains coated on rubber-silicone tubes

The present study focused on screening of biosurfactants produced by Leu-conostoc strains isolated from dromedary milk with antimicrobial and antiad-hesive properties against various pathogenic microorganisms and its poten-tial application in medical fields as an antibiofilm agent. After identification of the selected strains by mass spectrometry, screening methods for biosur-factants production were used, including drop collapse, oil displacement, surface tension and emulsification index. Antiadhesive assays were carried out against six pathogenic microorganisms in polystyrene surface, and ap-plied on rubber silicone tubes. Four lactic acid bacteria were isolated and identified as Leuconostoc sp according to MALDITOF MS spectrometry. Bio-surfactants isolated from Leuconostoc strains reduced tension surface from 72.0 to 45.7 by strain BY14, with an emulsification efficiency (E24) after 24h of 63%. The crude biosurfactants were effective against most pathogenic microorganisms with inhibition percentage from 92.3% to 44.3% after adhe-sion to polystyrene. Otherwise, the antiadhesive activity displayed values from 75.67% to 13.2%. The result of application test demonstrated that the selected crude biosurfactants reduced significantly all the deposited microbi-al biofilm from rubber silicone tubes. This study suggest that biosurfactants could have a promising role as an effective antibiofilm to prevent microbial colonization on medical devices.

Fluid separation and network deformation in wetting of soft and swollen surfaces

When a water drop is placed onto a soft polymer network, a wetting ridge develops at the drop periphery. The height of this wetting ridge is typically governed by the drop surface tension balanced by elastic restoring forces of the polymer network. However, the situation is more complex when the network is swollen with fluid, because the fluid may separate from the network at the contact line. Here we study the fluid separation and network deformation at the contact line of a soft polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) network, swollen with silicone oil. By controlling both the degrees of crosslinking and swelling, we find that more fluid separates from the network with increasing swelling. Above a certain swelling, network deformation decreases while fluid separation increases, demonstrating synergy between network deformation and fluid separation. When the PDMS network is swollen with a fluid having a negative spreading parameter, such as hexadecane, no fluid separation is observed. A simple balance of interfacial, elastic, and mixing energies can describe this fluid separation behavior. Our results reveal that a swelling fluid, commonly found in soft networks, plays a critical role in a wetting ridge.

Surface tension of melts of СаО – SiO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; – Al&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; – В&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; system

Using the method of experiment planning by simplex, the surface tension of the melts of СаО – SiO 2 – Al 2 O 3 – В 2 O 3 system was researched. The local part of the system was explored which covered the process of ferrosilicon, silicochrome, cement clinker, ceramics, glass, and sittals production. The amount of oxides in it was (%): 9.8 – 52.0 CaO; 0 – 70.4 SiO 2 ; 0 – 51.5 Al 2 O 3 and 0 – 20 B 2 O 3 . A mathematical model of surface tension dependence on the melts composition has been created and diagrams in the form of tetrahedron sections in B 2 O 3 have been constructed. It was found that, in the CaO – SiO 2 – Al 2 O 3 system, which is basic for metallurgy, melts with a high surface tension adjoin the binary side of CaO – Al 2 O 3 in the area of calcium aluminates crystallization which have small sizes, high charge and due to this bond to melt volume. With the introduction of SiO 2 , σ of melts decreases due to the formation of large aluminosilicon formations of the [Al 2 Si 2 O 8 ] 2– type, rankinite groups Si 2 O 7 6- , and ring complex [Si 3 O 9 ] 6- pseudo-wollastonite anion. The complication of anions due to polymerization leads to a drop of surface tension because of a decrease in charge ratio of the latter to the radius and, consequently, the strength of bond with cations. Boron anhydride injection causes a decrease in surface tension of melts СаО – SiO 2 – Al 2 О 3 which can be explained by boron transition at high temperature from four oxygen-coordinated (BO 4 5- ) to three oxygen-coordinated state (BO 3 3- ). Formed flat triangles BO 3 3- or complexes with them are loosely related to the melt’s volume, they are forced out to the surface and reduce surface tension. Mostly this affects the main aluminate melts, rather than acid ones. The latter can be explained by the closeness of the capillary activity of boron – and silicon-oxygen anions. The surface phenomena between the products of blast-furnace smelting of titanomagnetite iron ores have been studied experimentally using the method of lying drop. It was noted that the highest adhesion forces (work of adhesion) take place between slag and grenal (cast iron with a high titanium and silicon content), which is the reason for the loss of metal at the outlet with slags during the processing of such ores. Boron loaded into the blast furnace (in the form of natural ores) is redistributed under reduction conditions between cast iron, grenal and slag. Experiments have shown that the presence of boron in slag at the level of microconcentrations reduces the work of adhesion from 688 to 436 MN/m (by 37 %). Industrial experiments have shown that this helped to reduce the loss of valuable vanadium-containing cast iron with slags by 1.2 – 1.5 times with a simultaneous improvement in smelting performance.

Equivalence between condensation and boiling in a Lennard-Jones fluid.

Condensation and boiling are phase transitions highly relevant to industry, geology, and atmospheric science. These phase transitions are initiated by the nucleation of a drop in a supersaturated vapor and of a bubble in an overstretched liquid, respectively. The surface tension between both phases, liquid and vapor, is a key parameter in the development of such nucleation stage. Whereas the surface tension can be readily measured for a flat interface, there are technical and conceptual limitations to obtain it for the curved interface of the nucleus. On the technical side, it is quite difficult to observe a critical nucleus in experiments. From a conceptual point of view, the interfacial free energy depends on the choice of the dividing surface, being the surface of tension the one relevant for nucleation. We bypass the technical limitation by performing simulations of a Lennard-Jones fluid where we equilibrate critical nuclei (both drops and bubbles). Regarding the conceptual hurdle, we find the relevant cluster size by searching the radius that correctly predicts nucleation rates and nucleation free energy barriers when combined with Classical Nucleation Theory. With such definition of the cluster size we find the same value of the surface tension for drops and bubbles of a given radius. Thus, condensation and boiling can be viewed as two sides of the same coin. Finally, we combine the data coming from drops and bubbles to obtain, via two different routes, estimates of the Tolman length, a parameter that allows describing the curvature dependence of the surface tension in a theoretical framework.

Integration of experimental analysis and machine learning to predict drop behavior on superhydrophobic surfaces

• Morphology of impinging drops on superhydrophobic surfaces is evaluated. • Effect of drop and surface features and velocity on drop behavior is studied. • Successful use of a machine-learning to predict drop behavior on surfaces is shown. • Surface design criteria to improve the drop bouncing behavior is proposed. The design of water-repellent surfaces is of great importance as water repellency of surfaces against impacting water drops is a promising approach for most of applications as anti-icing and self-cleaning. To comprehensively investigate drop interactions with hydrophobic and superhydrophobic surfaces, we conducted a large suite of experimental tests to evaluate the morphology of impacting drops on these surfaces as a function of drop properties (drop diameter, density, viscosity, and surface tension), kinematic parameters (velocity), and surface features (contact angle, contact angle hysteresis, and surface roughness). Following analyzing the experimental results, we utilized a novel approach in this field by applying a predictive approach based on machine learning to predict the behavior of impacting drops on hydrophobic and superhydrophobic surfaces. Our developed model, based on a random-forest approach, predicted drop behavior at up to 98% accuracy. Aiming at finding those conditions favorable for producing a bouncing behavior upon drop impact, we predicted the outcome of an impinging drop for a wide range of Weber numbers, i.e., impact velocities, and numerous hypothetical surfaces. Our results offer some design criteria for creating superhydrophobic surfaces that favor bouncing upon drop impact on these surfaces.