Leidenfrost drop dynamics: a forgotten past and modern day rediscoveries

Abstract When drops of liquid are placed onto highly heated substrates at temperatures well above their boiling point, the drops float on a thin layer of vapour formed between the liquid and the hot surface. In a 290 year old phenomenon referred to as the Leidenfrost effect, drops freed from contact with the surface below can undergo a range of surprising and unexpected dynamical behaviour. In this paper we trace various early developments associated with the dynamics of Leidenfrost drops. By showing how many of the more recent discoveries found in the dynamic behaviour of Leidenfrost drops were either anticipated or antedated, we hope to draw attention to the long, rich, and largely overlooked history of the Leidenfrost effect and show there is much one can learn from its forgotten past.