Leidenfrost Effect: Why Water Droplets Bounce Around on a Hot Surface ... and How to Stop It

Sprinkling some water on the pan is a trick that cooks use to know if the pan is hot enough for cooking. If the water bounces on the pan, then the pan is up to temperature. This phenomenon of water skittering on a hot surface is called the Leidenfrost effect. Water droplets exhibit this behavior when the surface temperature is around 200°C or higher. At this temperature, when a water droplet hits the pan, its bottom instantly evaporates and turns into vapor, which could serve as a cushion and an insulating barrier for the droplet. And so, the water droplet just bounces around.

While the Leidenfrost effect is worth noting when cooking, it is a problem for liquid-based cooling systems which depend on evaporation to remove excess heat. For decades, scientists have been looking for solutions to this problem, but no one has been able to stop the phenomenon when surfaces reach extremely high temperatures. Researchers in Hong Kong may have finally found a way to prevent water from bouncing and skittering through a special membrane they call a "Structured Thermal Armour." This membrane can efficiently absorb the water, and the water evaporates quickly.

(Image Credit: nature video/ YouTube)

#CoolingSystems #LeidenfrostEffect #Water

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