Dispersion behaviors of droplet impacting on wire mesh and process intensification by surface micro/nano-structure

•The micro/nano-structures and macro-wettability of the wire meshes were studied.•The dispersion mechanisms and characteristics of droplet were investigated.•Droplet dispersion were intensified by increasing hydrophobicity of wire meshes.•Mass transfer model was established based on droplet dispersion characteristics. Droplet dispersion exists in a variety of industrial applications. Droplet impacting on the wire mesh could be dispersed into many tiny droplets and exposed larger surface area, which is better for the gas-liquid mass transfer process. In this work, the dispersion mechanisms and characteristics of droplet was investigated, as well as considering the influence of surface wettability. By increasing the surface hydrophobicity of the wire mesh, the cone angle of dispersion was enlarged maximally by 80%, the average diameter of daughter droplets decreased maximally by 70% and the liquid surface area could be eventually highly improved. Finally, based on the dispersion characteristics, the mass transfer model of droplet was established and verified by a gas-liquid absorption system. This study provides a better understanding of droplet dispersion after impacting on the wire mesh and also has major implications in the field of gas-liquid interface interaction enhancement.