Approaching the theoretical contact time of a bouncing droplet on the rational macrostructured superhydrophobic surfaces

The aim of this study is to reveal theoretically and experimentally a limited contact time of a bouncing droplet on superhydrophobic surfaces with the rationally designed macrostructures. During impacting, the water droplet hydrodynamics is properly altered under the assistance of the macrotextures. As a consequence, the retracting process of the impact water droplet can be completely integrated into the process of spreading out to the maximal deformation, resulting in a limited overall contact time of approximately 5.5 ms, i.e., the time required for spreading out to the maximal deformation. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.