Enhanced pool-boiling heat transfer on laser-made hydrophobic/superhydrophilic polydimethylsiloxane-silica patterned surfaces

This study presents the application of hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane-silica coating used for the development of biphilic surfaces that are designed to enhance the heat transfer during boiling. Surface analyses showed that this coating exhibits a high hydrophobicity due to its hierarchical structure and the use of hydrophobic polymer. An appropriate thermal treatment leads to the oxidation of the methyl groups and a formation of silicon oxide and silicon carbide that result in a wettability transition from hydrophobic to superhydrophilic. On this basis, we manufactured hydrophobic/superhydrophilic patterns on stainless-steel foils using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser. The uniform, superhydrophilic surface exhibited a 350% larger critical heat flux (CHF) than bare stainless-steel foil. High-speed IR thermography revealed that the increased wettability reduced the bubble contact diameter, allowed a higher density of active nucleation sites, and delayed the dry-out. The biphilic surfaces with differently sized hydrophobic spots exhibited the highest heat transfer coefficients, with an up to 200% higher CHF compared to the bare stainless steel. Smaller hydrophobic spots reduced the bubble diameter and increased the nucleation frequency. However, surfaces with larger hydrophobic regions promoted boiling incipience and exhibited higher heat transfer coefficients at low heat fluxes. These results suggest that the optimal biphilic pattern could only be determined for a particular operating point. Our data provide a new insight into the complex phenomena of nucleate pool boiling on chemically and mechanically heterogeneous surfaces

Nanosecond laser-textured copper surfaces hydrophobized with self-assembled monolayers for enhanced pool boiling heat transfer

Increased cooling requirements of many compact systems involving high heat fluxes demand the development of high-performance cooling techniques including immersion cooling utilizing pool boiling. This study presents the functionalization of copper surfaces to create interfaces for enhanced pool boiling heat transfer. Three types of surface structures including a crosshatch pattern, shallow channels and deep channels were developed using nanosecond laser texturing to modify the surface micro- and nanomorphology. Each type of surface structure was tested in the as-prepared superhydrophilic state and superhydrophobic state following hydrophobization, achieved through the application of a nanoscale self-assembled monolayer of a fluorinated silane. Boiling performance evaluation was conducted through three consecutive runs under saturated conditions at atmospheric pressure utilizing water as the coolant. All functionalized surfaces exhibited enhanced boiling heat transfer performance in comparison with an untreated reference. The highest critical heat flux of 1697 kW m(−2) was achieved on the hydrophobized surface with shallow channels. The highest heat transfer coefficient of 291.4 kW m(−2) K(−1) was recorded on the hydrophobized surface with deep channels at CHF incipience, which represents a 775% enhancement over the highest values recorded on the untreated reference. Surface microstructure was identified as the key reason for enhanced heat transfer parameters. Despite large differences in surface wettability, hydrophobized surfaces exhibited comparable (or even higher) CHF values in comparison with their hydrophilic counterparts, which are traditionally considered as more favorable for achieving high CHF values. A significant reduction in bubble departure diameter was observed on the hydrophobized surface with deep channels and is attributed to effective vapor entrapment, which is pointed out as a major contributing reason behind the observed extreme boiling heat transfer performance

Upon exposure to Cu nanoparticles, the accumulation of copper in the isopod Porcellio scaber is due to the dissolved Cu ions inside the digestive tract

The fate of nanoparticles in organisms is of significant interest. In the current work, we used a test system with terrestrial isopods (<i>Porcellio scaber</i>) fed with food spiked with Cu NPs or soluble Cu salt for 14 days. Two different doses were used for spiking to yield final concentrations of 2000 and 5000 μg Cu/g dry food. After the exposure period, part of the exposed group of animals was transferred to clean food to depurate. Cu content was analyzed in the digestive glands, gut, and the ‘rest’ of the body. Similar patterns of (i) assimilated and depurated amounts of Cu, (ii) Cu body distribution, and (iii) effect on isopods feeding behavior were observed regardless of whether the animals were fed with Cu NPs or soluble Cu salt spiked food. Thus, Cu ions and not Cu NPs were assimilated by the digestive gland cells. Solubilization of the Cu NPs applied to the leaves was also analyzed with chemical methods and recombinant Cu-sensing bacteria. The comparison of the in vitro data on solubilization of Cu NPs and in vivo data on Cu accumulation in the animal tissues showed that about 99% of accumulated copper ions was dissolved from ingested Cu NPs in the digestive system of isopods