Unlocking the Full Potential of Jumping Condensation on Microstructured Surfaces.
10 affiliations
- 1Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University, Espoo, 02150, Finland.
- 2Centre of Excellence in Life-Inspired Hybrid Materials (LIBER), Aalto University, Espoo, 02150, Finland.
- 3Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering, Aalto University, Espoo, 02150, Finland.
- 4Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, Aalto University, Espoo, 02150, Finland.
- 5Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
- 6Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
- 7Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
- 8International Institute For Carbon Neutral Energy Research (WPI-I2CNER), Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
- 9Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Center, Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
- 10Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE), University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
Abstract
Water condensation on superhydrophobic surfaces can generate spontaneous droplet jumping, enabling rapid condensate removal and improved thermal and mass transfer. Although this effect has been extensively demonstrated on densely packed nanostructures, the capability of microscale textures to support jumping condensation remains poorly understood. By systematically varying cone pitch within a series of microcone arrays with comparable cone geometries, we observe previously unreported spacing-dependent transition between jumping and non-jumping regimes. In the jumping regime, we identify a geometric threshold below which sub-10 µm droplets are rapidly removed, and above which jumping is suppressed, resulting in slower dynamics and larger departing droplets. In situ optical and environmental scanning electron microscopies provide evidence supporting a mechanistic interpretation of this transition: dense arrays favor full Cassie droplets, which depart cleanly, while wider spacing favors partial Cassie droplets that retain a localized wet region initiating new nucleation. Our findings establish a mechanistic link between the morphology of condensing microdroplets and the macroscopic jumping dynamics that govern performance in anti-fogging, water harvesting, and heat-transfer applications.
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BibTeX
@article{kiseleva2026unlocking,
title = {{Unlocking the Full Potential of Jumping Condensation on Microstructured Surfaces.}},
author = {Mariia S Kiseleva and Tytti Kärki and Mika Latikka and Parham Koochak and Sakari Lepikko and Maja Vuckovac and Tomi Koskinen and Ramesh Raju and Ville P Jokinen and Jiazheng Liu and Nenad Miljkovic and Jaakko V I Timonen and Ilkka Tittonen and Robin H A Ras},
journal = {Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/advs.78273},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42875862},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Unlocking the Full Potential of Jumping Condensation on Microstructured Surfaces.
AU - Mariia S Kiseleva
AU - Tytti Kärki
AU - Mika Latikka
AU - Parham Koochak
AU - Sakari Lepikko
AU - Maja Vuckovac
AU - Tomi Koskinen
AU - Ramesh Raju
AU - Ville P Jokinen
AU - Jiazheng Liu
AU - Nenad Miljkovic
AU - Jaakko V I Timonen
AU - Ilkka Tittonen
AU - Robin H A Ras
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
DO - 10.1002/advs.78273
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42875862
AB - Water condensation on superhydrophobic surfaces can generate spontaneous droplet jumping, enabling rapid condensate removal and improved thermal and mass transfer. Although this effect has been extensively demonstrated on densely packed nanostructures, the capability of microscale textures to support jumping condensation remains poorly understood. By systematically varying cone pitch within a series of microcone arrays with comparable cone geometries, we observe previously unreported spacing-dependent transition between jumping and non-jumping regimes. In the jumping regime, we identify a geometric threshold below which sub-10 µm droplets are rapidly removed, and above which jumping is suppressed, resulting in slower dynamics and larger departing droplets. In situ optical and environmental scanning electron microscopies provide evidence supporting a mechanistic interpretation of this transition: dense arrays favor full Cassie droplets, which depart cleanly, while wider spacing favors partial Cassie droplets that retain a localized wet region initiating new nucleation. Our findings establish a mechanistic link between the morphology of condensing microdroplets and the macroscopic jumping dynamics that govern performance in anti-fogging, water harvesting, and heat-transfer applications.
SN - 2198-3844
ER -