Leidenfrost droplet trampolining

Gustav Graeber, Kartik Regulagadda, Pascal Hodel, Christian Küttel, Dominic Landolf, Thomas M. Schutzius () and Dimos Poulikakos ()
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Gustav Graeber: ETH Zurich
Kartik Regulagadda: ETH Zurich
Pascal Hodel: ETH Zurich
Christian Küttel: ETH Zurich
Dominic Landolf: ETH Zurich
Thomas M. Schutzius: ETH Zurich
Dimos Poulikakos: ETH Zurich

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract A liquid droplet dispensed over a sufficiently hot surface does not make contact but instead hovers on a cushion of its own self-generated vapor. Since its discovery in 1756, this so-called Leidenfrost effect has been intensively studied. Here we report a remarkable self-propulsion mechanism of Leidenfrost droplets against gravity, that we term Leidenfrost droplet trampolining. Leidenfrost droplets gently deposited on fully rigid surfaces experience self-induced spontaneous oscillations and start to gradually bounce from an initial resting altitude to increasing heights, thereby violating the traditionally accepted Leidenfrost equilibrium. We found that the continuously draining vapor cushion initiates and fuels Leidenfrost trampolining by inducing ripples on the droplet bottom surface, which translate into pressure oscillations and induce self-sustained periodic vertical droplet bouncing over a broad range of experimental conditions.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21981-z

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