Rebound Behaviors of Multiple Droplets Simultaneously Impacting a Superhydrophobic Surface

Abstract

The rebound behaviors of multiple droplets simultaneously impacting a superhydrophobic surface were investigated via lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) simulations. Three rebound regions were identified, i.e., an edge-dominating region, a center-dominating region, and an independent rebound region. The occurrence of the rebound regions strongly depends on the droplet spacing and the associated Weber and Reynolds numbers. Three new rebound morphologies, i.e., a pin-shaped morphology, a downward comb-shaped morphology, and an upward comb-shaped morphology, were presented. Intriguingly, in the edge-dominating region, the central droplets experience a secondary wetting process to significantly prolong the contact time. However, in the center-dominating region, the contact time is dramatically shortened because of the strong interactions generated by the central droplets and the central ridges. These findings provide useful information for practical applications such as self-cleaning, anticorrosion, anti-icing, and so forth.