Nanodroplet Dynamics: Coalescence and Impact

This study aims to investigate the coalescence-induced jumping of water nanodroplets in a high Ohnesorge number regime (0.4 < Oh < 1) on a superhydrophobic surface and the dynamics of droplets when a stationary droplet on a solid surface is struck by another droplet of similar size from above, using molecular dynamics simulation. The first part of this study identified the critical droplet size below which coalescence-induced jumping terminates, developed a universal jumping mechanism for droplets of all types, explained a special phenomenon of jumping velocity becoming maximum before it approaches zero, and investigated how jumping terminates due to the size difference between droplets. These findings align well with prior micro-level studies and experimental predictions. The second part of this study investigated the jumping process of the merged droplet after the impact of a moving droplet upon a stationary one. The impact velocity, droplet size, surface textures, and wettability are influential factors on the jumping velocity in this case. Scaling laws for maximum spreading time, spreading factor, and restitution coefficient are formulated based on the Weber (We) number and the Reynolds (Re) number. These laws differ from those established for single-droplet impacts. For superhydrophobic surfaces, the spreading time is approximated by three times the droplet radius and impact velocity, and with the dimensionless spreading time, it exhibits a linear relationship with We 0.31. For both cases, the jumping process is primarily governed by the energy available for conversion into the kinetic energy of the merged droplet following dissipation. For the droplet impact case, the energy conversion efficiency becomes constant at high-impact droplet velocities. About 1% of the energy is dissipated due to surface adhesion, which reduces at higher impact velocity.