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Droplet-substrate timescale matching modulates impact outcomes on flexible substrates
Bo-Jian Wei1, Shu-Rong Gao1, Zi-Xuan Wang1
1Research Center of Engineering Thermophysics, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China. 18010188595@163.com.
Soft Matter
|July 17, 2026
Summary
Substrate vibration significantly influences droplet impact outcomes like rebound and splashing by coupling with droplet dynamics at specific stages. A new framework quantifies this coupling, improving predictions for droplet impacts on flexible surfaces.
Area of Science:
- Fluid Dynamics
- Materials Science
- Surface Science
Background:
- Droplet impact on flexible substrates is common in nature and engineering.
- Existing models lack a quantitative link between substrate vibration and impact outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a quantitative framework linking substrate vibration to distinct droplet impact outcomes.
- To understand how substrate vibration modulates rebound and splashing dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Systematic experiments on cantilever substrates with tunable stiffness.
- Varying Weber numbers (We) from 2 to 170.
- Establishing a stage-resolved timescale-coupling framework (Ω = fs*t*).
Main Results:
- Weber number primarily dictates overall impact outcome.
- Substrate vibration modulates rebound (We ≈ 1) and splashing (We ≈ 100-150).
- A timescale-coupling framework (Ω) quantifies vibration's effect on droplet dynamics.
Conclusions:
- The developed framework provides a unified, quantitative basis for predicting droplet impact outcomes on flexible substrates.
- Understanding stage-dependent coupling is key to controlling impact phenomena.
- Findings advance the science of fluid-structure interactions.
