Virginia Tech researchers discovered a lower-temperature method to create the Leidenfrost effect, allowing water droplets to levitate on hot surfaces, which could advance industrial cooling and cleaning.

Virginia Tech researchers have discovered a method to create the Leidenfrost effect at a lower temperature, allowing water droplets to levitate on hot surfaces. This finding, published in Nature Physics, could lead to advancements in cooling industrial machines and cleaning heat exchangers. The team, led by Jiangtao Cheng, collaborated with Oak Ridge National Lab and Dalian University of Technology.