Nucleation is the first stage of phase change phenomena, including condensation on nanostructured superhydrophobic surfaces. Despite plenty of theoretical studies on the effect of nanostructure density and shape on water droplet nucleation, not many experimental investigations have been reported. Here, we show both experimentally and theoretically that a moderate increase in the nanostructure density can lead to an increase in the nucleation density of water droplets because of the decreased energy barrier of nucleation in cavities formed between the nanostructures. Specifically, we observed droplets aligned in regions with denser nanostructures. The number and average volume of the aligned droplets in these regions were larger than that of the droplets in the surrounding areas. However, nucleation in cavities subsequently caused initial pinning of the droplet base within the nanostructures, forming a balloonlike, slightly elongated droplet shape. The dewetting transition of the pinned droplets from the Wenzel state to the unpinned Cassie state was predicted by quantifying the aspect ratio of droplets ranging from 3 to 30 μm. Moreover, the coalescence-jumping of droplets was followed by a new cycle of droplet condensation in an aligned pattern in an emptied area. These findings offer guidelines for designing enhanced superhydrophobic surfaces for water and energy applications.
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November 2017
This article was originally published in
Journal of Heat Transfer
Research-Article
How Nanostructures Affect Water Droplet Nucleation on Superhydrophobic Surfaces
Abulimiti Aili,
Abulimiti Aili
Department of Mechanical
and Materials Engineering,
Masdar Institute of Science and Technology,
P.O Box 54224,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
and Materials Engineering,
Masdar Institute of Science and Technology,
P.O Box 54224,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Search for other works by this author on:
QiaoYu Ge,
QiaoYu Ge
Department of Mechanical
and Materials Engineering,
Masdar Institute of Science and Technology,
P.O Box 54224,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
and Materials Engineering,
Masdar Institute of Science and Technology,
P.O Box 54224,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Search for other works by this author on:
TieJun Zhang
TieJun Zhang
Department of Mechanical
and Materials Engineering,
Masdar Institute of Science and Technology,
P.O Box 54224,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
e-mail: tjzhang@masdar.ac.ae
and Materials Engineering,
Masdar Institute of Science and Technology,
P.O Box 54224,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
e-mail: tjzhang@masdar.ac.ae
Search for other works by this author on:
Abulimiti Aili
Department of Mechanical
and Materials Engineering,
Masdar Institute of Science and Technology,
P.O Box 54224,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
and Materials Engineering,
Masdar Institute of Science and Technology,
P.O Box 54224,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
QiaoYu Ge
Department of Mechanical
and Materials Engineering,
Masdar Institute of Science and Technology,
P.O Box 54224,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
and Materials Engineering,
Masdar Institute of Science and Technology,
P.O Box 54224,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
TieJun Zhang
Department of Mechanical
and Materials Engineering,
Masdar Institute of Science and Technology,
P.O Box 54224,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
e-mail: tjzhang@masdar.ac.ae
and Materials Engineering,
Masdar Institute of Science and Technology,
P.O Box 54224,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
e-mail: tjzhang@masdar.ac.ae
1Corresponding author.
Contributed by the Heat Transfer Division of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF HEAT TRANSFER. Manuscript received September 14, 2016; final manuscript received May 1, 2017; published online June 21, 2017. Assoc. Editor: C. A. Dorao.
J. Heat Transfer. Nov 2017, 139(11): 112401 (10 pages)
Published Online: June 21, 2017
Article history
Received:
September 14, 2016
Revised:
May 1, 2017
Citation
Aili, A., Ge, Q., and Zhang, T. (June 21, 2017). "How Nanostructures Affect Water Droplet Nucleation on Superhydrophobic Surfaces." ASME. J. Heat Transfer. November 2017; 139(11): 112401. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4036763
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