Explosive boiling of water films adjacent to heated surfaces: A microscopic description

Molecular dynamics simulations are used to investigate the separation of water films adjacent to a hot metal surface. The simulations clearly show that the water layers nearest the surface overheat and undergo explosive boiling. For thick films, the expansion of the vaporized molecules near the surface forces the outer water layers to move away from the surface. These results are of interest for mass spectrometry of biological molecules, steam cleaning of surfaces, and medical procedures.