Nanodroplet bouncing behaviors of bonded graphene-carbon nanotube hybrid film

In recent times, the bonded graphene and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) hybrid (BGCH) film has garnered considerable attention due to its exceptional mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. Its inherent hydrophobic characteristics render it promising for diverse applications such as seawater desalination and anti-icing strategies. However, the wettability, particularly the dynamics of water droplet impact on the film surface, remains unclear. In this study, employing molecular dynamics simulations, we constructed a model of the BGCH film and observed four distinct impact phenomena (ball bouncing, spreading, retraction, pancake bouncing) when water droplets struck BGCH with short CNTs. Notably, at a velocity of 12 Å/ps, a pancake bouncing pattern emerged, markedly reducing the duration of solid–liquid contact. Moreover, the impact behaviors were found to be intricately linked to the structural parameters and inclined impact induced droplet flow on the substrate surface, augmenting the contact time. Furthermore, longer CNTs dissipated more energy from the water droplet through structural deformation. This work systematically investigates the nanodroplet bouncing behaviors of BGCH, providing theoretical insights for their applications in hydrophobicity fields.