Self-propelled Leidenfrost droplets.
We report that liquids perform self-propelled motion when they are placed in contact with hot surfaces with asymmetric (ratchetlike) topology. The pumping effect is observed when the liquid is in the Leidenfrost regime (the film-boiling regime), for many liquids and over a wide temperature range. We propose that liquid motion is driven by a viscous force exerted by vapor flow between the solid and the liquid.
Linke
H
H
Materials Science Institute and Physics Department, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97405-1274, USA. linke@uoregon.edu
Alemán
B J
BJ
Melling
L D
LD
Taormina
M J
MJ
Francis
M J
MJ
Dow-Hygelund
C C
CC
Narayanan
V
V
Taylor
R P
RP
Stout
A
A