Non-wettability sliding of droplets on an inclined surface mediated by the micrometer-sized gas layer

Non-wettability sliding of droplets on an inclined surface mediated by the micrometer-sized gas layer | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Non-wettability sliding of droplets on an inclined surface mediated by the micrometer-sized gas layer Zhenyu Zhang, Jinhui Zhou, Zhigang Xu, Chenwei Zhang, Ning Wang This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8133126/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 25 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in Experiments in Fluids → Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Droplet impact occurs in many applications, such as spray cooling, aircraft anti-icing, self-cleaning, and pesticide deposition. In these applications, droplets always impact inclined surfaces. However, previous studies mainly focused on droplet dynamics and the gas layer beneath droplets after the perpendicular impact of droplets on horizontal surfaces. Droplets may slide on inclined surfaces mediated by an asymmetric gas layer after the impact. In this study, the droplet sliding during the impact of droplets on an inclined liquid film is studied experimentally by using high-speed photography technology and colored interferometry technology. Results show that an asymmetric micrometer-sized gas layer continuously exists at the bottom of the droplet, preventing the droplet from wetting the inclined surface. Unlike the complex liquid-phase flow and surface deformation in wetting sliding, the droplet under non-wetting conditions moves almost like a rigid body, with its velocity evolution primarily governed by gravitational potential energy. In addition, the thickness of the asymmetric gas layer is measured during the droplet sliding. The gas layer at the front of the sliding droplet is relatively flat and thin, while the rear region is steeper and thicker. As the angle of the inclined surface increases, the droplet slides faster, but the spreading diameter of the droplet remains almost unchanged. The asymmetry of the gas layer beneath the droplet increases. In addition, the droplet slides faster as the Weber number increases. Droplet slide Gas layer Droplet impact Inclined surface Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 25 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in Experiments in Fluids → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 08 Feb, 2026 Reviews received at journal 08 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 10 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 12 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 12 Dec, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 08 Dec, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 18 Nov, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 17 Nov, 2025 First submitted to journal 17 Nov, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8133126","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":558979331,"identity":"d694f4da-6b55-47e7-9511-e7bc7f27cdd4","order_by":0,"name":"Zhenyu Zhang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Beijing Institute of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zhenyu","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhang","suffix":""},{"id":558979332,"identity":"1b17c1fe-70ab-4a11-80b0-def530d5fd9b","order_by":1,"name":"Jinhui 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layer","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"experiments-in-fluids","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"exif","sideBox":"Learn more about [Experiments in Fluids](http://link.springer.com/journal/348)","snPcode":"348","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/348/3","title":"Experiments in Fluids","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Droplet slide, Gas layer, Droplet impact, Inclined surface","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8133126/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8133126/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eDroplet impact occurs in many applications, such as spray cooling, aircraft anti-icing, self-cleaning, and pesticide deposition. In these applications, droplets always impact inclined surfaces. However, previous studies mainly focused on droplet dynamics and the gas layer beneath droplets after the perpendicular impact of droplets on horizontal surfaces. Droplets may slide on inclined surfaces mediated by an asymmetric gas layer after the impact. In this study, the droplet sliding during the impact of droplets on an inclined liquid film is studied experimentally by using high-speed photography technology and colored interferometry technology. Results show that an asymmetric micrometer-sized gas layer continuously exists at the bottom of the droplet, preventing the droplet from wetting the inclined surface. Unlike the complex liquid-phase flow and surface deformation in wetting sliding, the droplet under non-wetting conditions moves almost like a rigid body, with its velocity evolution primarily governed by gravitational potential energy. In addition, the thickness of the asymmetric gas layer is measured during the droplet sliding. The gas layer at the front of the sliding droplet is relatively flat and thin, while the rear region is steeper and thicker. As the angle of the inclined surface increases, the droplet slides faster, but the spreading diameter of the droplet remains almost unchanged. The asymmetry of the gas layer beneath the droplet increases. 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