Virginia Tech Engineers Lower Leidenfrost Effect Temperature

"Like the papillae on a lotus leaf, micropillars do more than decorate the surface, said Cheng. "They give the surface new properties."

"We thought the micropillars would change the behaviors of this well-known phenomenon, but our results defied even our own imaginations," said Cheng. "The observed bubble-droplet interactions are a big discovery for boiling heat transfer."

"Our research can prevent disasters such as vapor explosions, which pose significant threats to industrial heat transfer equipment," said Huang. "Through our theoretical exploration in the paper, we investigate how surface structure affects the growth mode of vapor bubbles, providing valuable insights into controlling and mitigating the risk of vapor explosions."

The team also addressed the challenge of impurities left behind in the textures of rough surfaces. Under spray cleaning or rinsing, neither conventional Leidenfrost nor cold droplets can fully eliminate deposited particulates. Cheng's strategy uses vapor bubbles to dislodge particles from surface roughness, moving heat and impurities away from the surface.