A new (and the first) book on levitating droplet clusters will be published in 2023

A. A. Fedorets, L. A. Dombrovsky, E. Bormashenko, M. Nosonovsky Levitating Droplet Clusters (Begell House, 2023, to be published)

The monograph provides a systematical consideration of a fascinating phenomenon known as the “droplet cluster”. A self-assembled cluster of small droplets formed over a locally heated surface of a liquid is of interest not only as a physical phenomenon, but can also be used to solve some applied problems. In particular, water droplets of a stabilized cluster are promising microreactors for precise laboratory studies of chemical and biochemical reactions. The book material is mainly based on studies published by the authors in journal papers during the last few years. Special attention is paid to the stabilization of droplet clusters using external infrared irradiation and quantitative characterization of the cluster symmetry, including the case of reversible second-order phase transitions. The presented extensive experimental material is accompanied by qualitative (and sometimes quantitative) physical models, which contribute to understanding the complex interaction of various dynamic and thermal processes occurring in droplet clusters. The analysis of the main processes makes it possible to develop improved methods for generating relatively stable clusters of water droplets and suggest advanced methods for controlling the cluster parameters. The material presented in the monograph is expected to be interesting and useful for researchers and engineers working in the field of heat transfer and microfluidics.