Research

Fizzy Droplets

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Leidenfrost drops surf on a layer of their own vapor, created by the high temperature of a nearby surface relative to their boiling point. These Leidenfrost drops can self-propel and skitter and skate across a surface, but they’re not the only droplets that do this. In this video, researchers show how a drop of carbonated water on a superhydrophobic (water-repelling) surface also avoids contact. As long as the drop has carbon dioxide to expel, it will maintain a gap relative to the surface and can even surf over a ratcheted surface the way that their Leidenfrost cousins do. (Image and video credit: D. Panchanathan et al., source)

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