Jumping behavior of water nanodroplets on a superhydrophobic surface in high Ohnesorge number (Oh) regime

Abstract

The coalescence-induced jumping of nanodroplets on superhydrophobic surfaces has recently gained research attention due to its application in energy harvesting, self-cleaning, and cooling of nanoscale electronic devices. This study aims to investigate the jumping behavior of water nanodroplets in a high Ohnesorge number regime, where 0.45 $<$ Oh $<$ 1 and identify the critical size of droplets where jumping terminates. The study utilized molecular dynamics simulations to analyze the jumping characteristics of droplets ranging from 1.5 nm to 7 nm in radius. The findings of this research developed a universal jumping mechanism for droplets of all sizes, identified the lower limit of droplet size, below which coalescence-induced jumping does not occur, and explained a special phenomenon of jumping velocity becoming maximum before it approaches zero. The study also investigated how jumping terminates due to the size difference between droplets. These findings align well with prior micro-scale studies and experimental predictions. Surface energy, viscous dissipation, kinetic energy, and varying surface tension have been identified as the dominating factors influencing nanoscale droplet jumping at such a high Oh regime. The findings will provide insights for developing various applications at this scale.