Bouncing modes and heat transfer of impacting droplets on textured superhydrophobic surfaces

Superhydrophobic modifications could effectively minimize heat exchange at the interfaces of impacting droplets and solid surfaces. Previous studies have lacked numerical explorations regarding the effect of bouncing modes on the heat transfer characteristics during droplets impacting on textured superhydrophobic surfaces with micropillars. To address this issue, a multiple distribution function phase-field lattice Boltzmann model is developed to numerically study dynamic behaviors and heat transfer during droplet impact. Comparisons between the simulations and previous experimental results validate the computation model. Subsequently, the dynamic behaviors of impacting droplets and the effects on the heat transfer were studied using the proposed model. The effects of the textured surface structural parameters on the dynamics and heat transfer are discussed in detail. The numerical results indicate four possible bouncing modes of the impacting droplets: Cassie bouncing, partially penetrated bouncing, pancake bouncing and Wenzel bouncing. These modes depend on the surface energy stored in the penetrating droplet in the microstructures cavities of the surface. Moreover, the synergistic effects of contact time and contact area affect the heat transfer performance. Further, the developed theoretical model to predict the total transferred heat is based on the identified droplet dynamics. Finally, the effects of roughness parameters on total transferred heat are studied, and the design principles of textured superhydrophobic surfaces for heat transfer suppression are given for two application scenarios. The results demonstrate that the control of microstructures would be crucial for the dynamics and heat transfer of impacting droplets on textured superhydrophobic surfaces.