Tailoring vapor film beneath a Leidenfrost drop

For a drop on a very hot solid surface, a vapor film will form beneath the drop, which has been discovered by Leidenfrost in 1756. The vapor escaping from the Leidenfrost film causes uncontrollable flows, and actuates the drop to move around. Recently, although numerous strategies have been used to regulate the Leidenfrost vapor, the understanding of surface chemistry for modulating the phase-change vapor dynamics remains incomplete. Here, we report how to rectify vapor by “cutting” the Leidenfrost film using chemically heterogeneous surfaces. We demonstrate that the segmented film cut by a Z-shaped pattern can spin a drop, since the superhydrophilic region directly contacts the drop and vaporizes the water, while a vapor film is formed on the superhydrophobic surrounding to jet vapor and reduce heat transfer. Furthermore, we reveal the general principle between the pattern symmetry design and the drop dynamics. This finding provides new insights into the Leidenfrost dynamics modulation, and opens a promising avenue for vapor-driven miniature devices.