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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Guanqi Wang, Dr Jonathan McDonoughORCiD, Dr Vladimir ZivkovicORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Under the Leidenfrost effect, a droplet levitates on a vapour cushion fed by evaporation of the liquid. The vapour layer insulates and lifts the droplet off the surface, allowing it to levitate in a long-lived, non-wetting and ultramobile state. This work finds the convective internal swirls within a Leidenfrost droplet greatly enhance droplet mixing, reducing mixing time by over 100-fold compared to pure diffusion at room temperature. Our model reveals that the mixing time of a self-propelling droplet, on an asymmetrically grooved surface, mainly depends on the droplet shape and the groove parameters. Experimental results align closely with the model predictions. Additionally, we show that using channel walls enables propulsion of large droplet slugs or streams, which occupy the entire ring channel with volumes up to 2.9 mL. These findings open new opportunities for advancing microfluidics and process intensification.
Author(s): Wang G, McDonough J, Zivkovic V, Abadie T, Long T, Wang S
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer
Year: 2026
Volume: 254
Print publication date: 01/01/2026
Online publication date: 19/08/2025
Acceptance date: 12/08/2025
Date deposited: 20/08/2025
ISSN (print): 0017-9310
ISSN (electronic): 1879-2189
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2025.127698
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2025.127698
Data Access Statement: Data will be made available on request.
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