Temperature-dependent droplet impact dynamics of a water droplet on hydrophobic and superhydrophobic surfaces: An experimental and predictive machine learning–based study

•Droplet impact on microstructured surfaces (hydrophobic/superhydrophobic) at different temperatures has been studied.•Effect of velocity, droplet diameter, temperature, surface wettability and roughness on impact dynamic are evaluated.•Using three machine-learning algorithms, an innovative method for predicting droplet impact dynamic is presented. Heightening the water repellency of surfaces can serve anti-icing purposes by removing water drops before they freeze and adhere to a surface. Here we study the impact dynamics of water droplets on silicone rubber surfaces—ranging from hydrophobic to superhydrophobic—at −20, −10, and 25 °C. We evaluate the influence of static contact angle, contact angle hysteresis, surface roughness, temperature, impacting velocity, and droplet diameter on droplet behavior (e.g., deposition, bouncing, splash). Minor effect of temperature on droplet dynamics on microstructured surfaces for a wide range of Weber and Reynolds numbers is observed. Experimental observations show that full bouncing only occurs on superhydrophobic surfaces with a CA > 160° and a CAH