Melting process of frozen sessile droplets on superhydrophobic surfaces

TL;DR

This study investigates the melting behavior of frozen droplets on different superhydrophobic surfaces, revealing distinct flow patterns and convection mechanisms that enhance understanding of icephobicity and inform surface design.

Contribution

It identifies two melting morphologies with opposite vortex directions on nano-structured and micro-nano-structured superhydrophobic surfaces, elucidating the role of Marangoni convection.

Findings

Marangoni convection dominates in hierarchical micro-nano structures.

Superhydrophobic particles inhibit Marangoni convection in nano-structured surfaces.

Different surface structures lead to distinct melting flow patterns.

Abstract

Superhydrophobic surfaces can exhibit icephobicity in many ways due to their large contact angles and small rolling angles. The melting process of frozen droplets on superhydrophobic surfaces is still unclear, hindering the understanding of surface icephobicity. In this experimental study of the melting process of frozen sessile droplets on superhydrophobic surfaces, we find two types of melting morphologies with opposite vortex directions on a single-scale nano-structured (SN) superhydrophobic substrate and a hierarchical-scale micro-nano-structured (HMN) superhydrophobic substrate. Melting pattern visualizations and flow field measurements showwed Marangoni convection and natural convection occuring in the melting sessile droplets. For the HMN superhydrophobic substrate, the internal flow was found to be dominated by Marangoni convection due to the temperature gradient along the surface of the droplet. For the SN superhydrophobic substrate, Marangoni convection was inhibited by the superhydrophobic particles at the surface of the droplet, which were shed from the fragile superhydrophobic substrate during the freezing--melting process, as confirmed by surface characterizations of the substrate and flow measurements of a water pool. These results will help researchers better understand the melting process of frozen droplets and in designing novel icephobic surfaces for numerous applications.