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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Leidenfrost hydrogels: Elastic surface-wave instability and sustained bouncing

Nathan C. J. Coombs1,*, Peter Lewin-Jones2,†, Mykyta V. Chubynsky3,‡, and James E. Sprittles1,§

  • *Contact author: Nathan.Coombs@warwick.ac.uk
  • †Contact author: Peter.Lewin-Jones@bristol.ac.uk
  • ‡Contact author: chubynsky@gmail.com
  • §Contact author: J.E.Sprittles@warwick.ac.uk
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Phys. Rev. Research 8, L022052 – Published 17 June, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/xzg7-4gzy

Abstract

Leidenfrost hydrogel spheres exhibit interfacial oscillations that inject energy and drive sustained bouncing. Using a computational model, we identify these oscillations as an evaporation-driven instability of elastic surface waves. The resulting dynamics conform to a classical engine cycle [S. R. Waitukaitis et al., Nat. Phys. 13, 1095 (2017)], even in the absence of vapor trapping at the solid surface previously proposed as the injection mechanism.

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References (46)

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Phys. Rev. Research 8, L022052– Published 17 June, 2026
  • Received 23 September 2025
  • Accepted 19 May 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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