The mechanical engineers’ design collected more condensates, or liquid formed by condensation, than they had predicted based on a classic physics model. The theory is critical to the researchers’ work to develop innovative surfaces for applications such as harvesting water from air without electricity. The classical heat transfer theory does not account for the high speed at which our newer surface removes condensates. The classical theory did not consider the speed at which the new surface could collect and shed these condensates. The classical heat transfer theory does not account for the high speed at which our newer surface removes condensates,” said Monga, the paper’s lead author.