When a droplet falls on a mesh surface, some of the liquid can burst through the holes (top row). But subsequent drops have a harder time penetrating the prewetted mesh. After a few drops have impacted (rows 2-3), the wetted mesh can completely suppress penetration (rows 4-5). The authors found that the taller drops sitting atop the mesh were better at stopping penetration from an incoming drop. (Image and research credit: L. Xu et al.)
Stopping The Drop
