Fundamental Limits of the Spatial Control of Heterogeneous Nucleation on Biphilic Surfaces.

Condensation of water vapor on nonwetting surfaces, termed dropwise condensation, leads to rapid droplet removal and significantly improves heat transfer compared to wetting surfaces. However, the spatial distribution of heterogeneous nucleation sites during dropwise condensation is random. Furthermore, the low surface energy of the nonwetting substrate reduces the nucleation rate as predicted by classical nucleation theory.