Fluid dynamics: Shaping drops

TL;DR: Cheng et al. as discussed by the authors reported a superhydrophobic surface with switchable isotropic/anisotropic wettings, which not only provided a novel functional material but also opened a new avenue for application in controlled droplet transportation.

TL;DR: In this study, a robust, amphiphobic coating consisted of fluorinated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (FMWCNTs) and commercial polyurethane (PU) was constructed by simply spray process, which endowed the coating surface with excellent deicing and defrosting characteristics under sunlight irradiation and may have a wide application in outdoor surrounding.

TL;DR: The recent advances in the fundamental understanding are reviewed, as well as practical applications of bioinspired interfacial materials, with an emphasis on the drop bouncing and coalescence-induced jumping behaviors.

TL;DR: It is demonstrated that the dynamically controllable drop bouncing behavior of the magnetically responsive hierarchical array enables the efficient and robust prevention of ice formation and accumulation.

TL;DR: It is demonstrated that it is possible to reduce the contact time below this theoretical limit by using superhydrophobic surfaces with a morphology that redistributes the liquid mass and thereby alters the drop hydrodynamics.

TL;DR: By designing surfaces with tapered micro/nanotextures which behave as harmonic springs, the timescales become independent of the impact velocity, allowing the occurrence of pancake bouncing and rapid drop detachment over a wide range of impact velocities.

TL;DR: Experimental scaling relations support a model in which compressible effects in the gas are responsible for splashing in liquid solid impacts.

TL;DR: In this paper, scaling arguments are used to predict the maximal deformation and contact time of a water drop when it is thrown on a super-hydrophobic substrate, and this approach is completed by a model describing the flow inside the drop.