Leidenfrost effect: Hovering water droplets that can climb stairs!
What happens when you place a drop of water on a hot surface that is more than 250 degrees Celsius? You might expect the water to boil almost instantly, but something else happens! As the water boils, a thin layer of water vapour forms in between the droplet and the surface. This slows down the rate of boiling and results in a droplet hovering just about 0.2mm from the surface.
The heat is now transferred through the thin vapour layer and this is known as film boiling. This effect of a hovering droplet that can skitter around the surface with low friction is known as the Leidenfrost effect. You can replicate this in everyday life by simply placing small amounts of water in a heated pan. One of the interesting applications is that by constructing a set of "stairs", we can make this water droplet climb upwards against gravity!
The droplet slides downwards on the slanted parts of the ramp, while the boiling effect helps it climb over the steps in the ratchet-like structure. The structure, when optimized, can climb up to 15 degree angles.
Below are some more links regarding this cool effect:
http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2006/03/20/science/20060321_SCI_ILLUS.html
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