Researchers Discover Surprising Melting Patterns in Ice Droplets

Study shows ice droplets can melt from the top down, challenging conventional understanding.

Published on Mar. 6, 2026

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Researchers have discovered that ice droplets can occasionally melt from the top down rather than the bottom up, a surprising finding that challenges conventional understanding of how ice droplets melt. The study, published in Applied Physics Letters, used high-speed photography to observe the melting process of ice droplets on different surfaces, including copper and superhydrophobic materials.

Why it matters

Understanding the melting patterns of ice droplets is crucial for designing better structures, such as aircraft and wind turbines, that can resist ice accumulation. The discovery of the 'deposited mode' of melting, where the unmelted ice layer stays at the bottom of the droplet, could lead to the development of improved hydrophobic surfaces that encourage this faster melting process.

The details

The researchers first froze water droplets to -10°C on either a copper or superhydrophobic substrate, then slowly heated the substrate to 30°C while taking high-speed photographs of the melting process. They found that the ice layer typically rose to the top of the droplet in the expected 'floating mode' of melting. However, on the superhydrophobic surfaces, they occasionally observed the 'deposited mode,' where the unmelted ice layer stayed at the bottom of the droplet. The researchers hypothesize that a thin layer of liquid forms between the droplet and the heated substrate, then flows upward to melt the droplet from the top down.

  • The study was published on March 6, 2026.

The players

Jiawang Cui

Lead author of the study and researcher at the institution where the study was conducted.

Zhizhao Che

Senior author of the study and researcher at the institution where the study was conducted.

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What they’re saying

“Many people study experimental droplet freezing. Not many people study the melting process, but we know it's very important.”

— Zhizhao Che, Senior author of the study (Applied Physics Letters)

“This [is] counterintuitive. If you don't see it, you don't believe it.”

— Zhizhao Che, Senior author of the study (Applied Physics Letters)

What’s next

The researchers hope their findings can lead to the development of better hydrophobic surfaces that encourage the deposited mode of melting, which melts faster than the floating mode.

The takeaway

This study challenges the conventional understanding of how ice droplets melt and could have important implications for the design of structures that need to resist ice accumulation, such as aircraft and wind turbines.