Surfing on a herringbone

Evaporation of a liquid on a hot solid can be exploited to induce both levitation and self-propulsion if the vapor flow under the liquid is made directional. Here we propose to force an anisotropic flow of vapor with a herringbone pattern at a solid surface. Liquids are found to self-propel on such hot materials, drawn by the underlying flow of vapor. The simplicity of the geometry allows us to predict the direction of vapor flow rectification, to quantitatively model the propulsion, and to discuss how the pattern must be designed to optimize both driving force and drop velocity.