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Balloon regime: Drop elasticity leads to complete rebound

Diego Díaz1,*,†, Arivazhagan G. Balasubramanian1,2,*, Kasra Amini1, Xiaomei Li3, Fredrik Lundell1, Shervin Bagheri1,‡, and Outi Tammisola1,2,§

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • †Contact author: didd@kth.se
  • ‡Contact author: shervinb@kth.se
  • §Contact author: outi@mech.kth.se
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Phys. Rev. Research 8, 023022 – Published 7 April, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/9gxn-thst

Abstract

When a highly elastic drop of a polymer solution hits a superhydrophobic surface at a high speed, a growing tail-like filament emerges vertically from the impact spot as the contact line recedes. Notably, the ligament transitions into a balloonlike shape before detaching completely from the surface (balloon regime). The ligament formation is attributed to liquid impalement upon impact into the surface protrusion spacing, and elastic forces due to polymers prevent ligament breakup. The detachment of the ligament happens when polymeric stresses balance or overcome the adhesion at the surface. This study shows that tuning droplet rheology and surface roughness enables droplets to rebound completely and without splashing at high impact speeds.

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Outline

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Phys. Rev. Research 8, 023022– Published 7 April, 2026
  • Received 19 January 2025
  • Revised 16 September 2025
  • Accepted 6 March 2026
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