Room temperature water Leidenfrost droplets

TL;DR

This study explores the Leidenfrost effect at various pressures, demonstrating that low-pressure environments enable ambient temperature droplets with extended lifetimes, supporting potential microfluidic applications.

Contribution

It provides experimental validation of the Leidenfrost effect at low pressures and links the evaporation rate to a recent theoretical model.

Findings

Leidenfrost droplets can be at ambient temperature at low pressures.

Droplet lifetime increases significantly at reduced pressures.

Evaporation rates match predictions from a recent model.

Abstract

We experimentally investigate the Leidenfrost effect at pressures ranging from 1 to 0.05 atmospheric pressure. As a direct consequence of the Clausius-Clapeyron phase diagram of water, the droplet temperature can be at ambient temperature in a non-sophisticated lab environment. Furthermore, the lifetime of the Leidenfrost droplet is significantly increased in this low pressure environment. The temperature and pressure dependance of the evaporation rate are successfully tested against a recently proposed model. These results may pave a way to reach efficient Leidenfrost micro-fluidic and milli-fluidic applications.