Optical Microscope Images of Water Condensing on Nanotextures (IMAGE)
Caption
The series of optical microscope images (a) show the patterns formed by the condensation of water from a supersaturated atmosphere on surfaces textured with nanocylinders (top row) and nanocones (bottom row) throughout a 45-minute period. Both textures start out covered with microdroplets, but the cylindrical texture shows large droplets forming over time that stick to the surface. In contrast, the conical texture resists dew formation because the water droplets are so lightly adhered to the surface that, when two drops join together (b, top), they gain enough energy to spontaneously jump off the surface (b, bottom).
Credit
<i>Nature Materials</i>
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