Multifunctional surfaces that are favorable for both droplet nucleation and removal are highly desirable for water harvesting applications but are rare. Inspired by the unique functions of pitcher plants and rice leaves, we present a hydrophilic directional slippery rough surface (SRS) that is capable of rapidly nucleating and removing water droplets. Our surfaces consist of nanotextured directional microgrooves in which the nanotextures alone are infused with hydrophilic liquid lubricant. We have shown through molecular dynamics simulations that the physical origin of the efficient droplet nucleation is attributed to the hydrophilic surface functional groups, whereas the rapid droplet removal is due to the significantly reduced droplet pinning of the directional surface structures and slippery interface. We have further demonstrated that the SRS, owing to its large surface area, hydrophilic slippery interface, and directional liquid repellency, outperforms conventional liquid-repellent surfaces in water harvesting applications.

Hydrophilic directional slippery rough surfaces for water harvesting

Review of pool boiling enhancement by surface modification

Review of applications and developments of ultra-thin micro heat pipes for electronic cooling

In the development of next-generation materials with enhanced thermal properties, biological systems in nature provide many examples that have exceptional structural designs and unparalleled performance in their thermal or nonthermal functions. Bioinspired engineering thus offers great promise in the synthesis and fabrication of thermal materials that are difficult to engineer through conventional approaches. In this review, recent progress in the emerging area of bioinspired advanced materials for thermal science and technology is summarized. State-of-the-art developments of bioinspired thermal-management materials, including materials for efficient thermal insulation and heat transfer, and bioinspired materials for thermal/infrared detection, are highlighted. The dynamic balance of bioinspiration and practical engineering, the correlation of inspiration approaches with the targeted applications, and the coexistence of molecule-based inspiration and structure-based inspiration are discussed in the overview of the development. The long-term outlook and short-term focus of this critical area of advanced materials engineering are also presented.

Bioinspired Engineering of Thermal Materials

A review of small heat pipes for electronics

Hydrophobic copper nanowires for enhancing condensation heat transfer

Enhanced bubble nucleation and liquid rewetting for highly efficient boiling heat transfer on two-level hierarchical surfaces with patterned copper nanowire arrays

Flat, flexible, lightweight, polymer heat pipes (FPHP) were fabricated. The overall geometry of the heat pipe was 130 mm × 70 mm × 1.31 mm. A commercially available low-cost film composed of laminated sheets of low-density polyethylene terephthalate, aluminum and polyethylene layers was used as the casing. A triple-layer sintered copper woven mesh served as a liquid wicking structure, and water was the working fluid. A coarse nylon woven mesh provided space for vapor transport and mechanical rigidity. Thermal power ranging from 5 to 30 W was supplied to the evaporator while the device was flexed at 0°, 45° and 90°. The thermal resistance of the FPHP ranged from 1.2 to 3.0 K W−1 depending on the operating conditions while the thermal resistance for a similar-sized solid copper reference was a constant at 4.6 K W−1. With 25 W power input, the thermal resistance of the liquid–vapor core of the FPHP was 23% of a copper reference sample with identical laminated polymer material. This work shows a promising combination of technologies that has the potential to usher in a new generation of highly flexible, lightweight, low-cost, high-performance thermal management solutions.

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0960-1317/23/1/015001/pdf

Flat flexible polymer heat pipes

This paper presents the fabrication and application of a micro-scale hybrid wicking structure in a flat polymer-based heat pipe heat spreader, which improves the heat transfer performance under high adverse acceleration. The hybrid wicking structure which enhances evaporation and condensation heat transfer under adverse acceleration consists of 100 µm high, 200 µm wide square electroplated copper micro-pillars with 31 µm wide grooves for liquid flow and a woven copper mesh with 51 µm diameter wires and 76 µm spacing. The interior vapor chamber of the heat pipe heat spreader was 30×30×1.0 mm3. The casing of the heat spreader is a 100 µm thick liquid crystal polymer which contains a two-dimensional array of copper-filled vias to reduce the overall thermal resistance. The device performance was assessed under 0–10 g acceleration with 20, 30 and 40 W power input on an evaporator area of 8×8 mm2. The effective thermal conductivity of the device was determined to range from 1653 W (m K)−1 at 0 g to 541 W (m K)−1 at 10 g using finite element analysis in conjunction with a copper reference sample. In all cases, the effective thermal conductivity remained higher than that of the copper reference sample. This work illustrates the possibility of fabricating flexible, polymer-based heat pipe heat spreaders compatible with standardized printed circuit board technologies that are capable of efficiently extracting heat at relatively high dynamic acceleration levels.

/pdf/thermal-performance-of-a-flat-polymer-heat-pipe-heat-7du7ephlrt.pdf

Qian Li

Papers

Hydrophobic copper nanowires for enhancing condensation heat transfer

Enhanced bubble nucleation and liquid rewetting for highly efficient boiling heat transfer on two-level hierarchical surfaces with patterned copper nanowire arrays

Flat flexible polymer heat pipes

Thermal performance of a flat polymer heat pipe heat spreader under high acceleration

Flexible Thermal Ground Planes Fabricated With Printed Circuit Board Technology