Highly Efficient Jumping-Droplet Condensation via Full Lifecycle Droplet Rectifications.

Abstract

Jumping-droplet condensation has attractive prospects for energy harvesting, water collection, and thermal management, yet its real-world applications are greatly hindered by its unsatisfactory efficiency and durability. Herein, inspired by biological systems, we propose a wedge-walled rhombus lattice structure surface to implement sustainable controls on full lifecycle droplet evolutions, achieving a highly efficient jumping-droplet condensation without evident instabilities or failures. Molecular dynamics simulations verify the feasibility of this strategy, demonstrating that droplets nucleate uniformly at designated sites, spontaneously migrate, and actively coalesce with neighboring droplets, ultimately jumping off the surface efficiently. The structure's multidimensional rectification effects facilitate the nanoscale-droplet departure size and robust surface renewal without external energy input, yielding a 3-fold heat transfer enhancement in long-term condensation. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms governing droplet dynamics are uncovered to guide surface optimization. These findings open new avenues for the design of nanostructure surfaces for applications in droplet manipulation, self-cleaning, and electronics cooling.