The interplay of dropwise condensation and drop shedding mechanism on biphilic patterned surfaces.

The optimization of the dropwise condensation region on a patterned surface is important for applications such as heat transfer performance, water harvesting efficiency, and self-cleaning surfaces. Previous research found that narrowing the dropwise region increased drop shedding frequencies, which continuously renewed the condensate surfaces and resulted in better heat transfer coefficients. In this study, we looked at the area that condensate drops covered, the volume of departure drops, and the drop size distribution on biphilic surfaces' dropwise condensation region. In addition, we discussed the connection between drop shedding mechanisms and ideal dropwise condensation surfaces. Because the number of drops increased, the wider dropwise region width provided more condensate region and increased the number of drop shedding mechanisms. We observed greater drop area coverage at lower area fractions while adjusting the ratio of dropwise region area to total surface area. As a result, the maximum volume of departure drop was found to be optimal at 30% area fraction.