A microwave-powered continuous fluidic system for polymer nanocomposite manufacturing: a proof-of-concept study

Continuous manufacturing of pure nanocrystals with a narrow size distribution in a polymer matrix is very challenging, although it is highly crucial to get their full potential for advanced applications. A long-lasting nanocomposite (NC) manufacturing challenge is, for the first time, overcome by a microwave-powered fluidic system (MWFS). The effect of microwave power (MWP), flow rate, and the concentration of the reagents are systematically studied. The nylon-6 NC bearing evenly distributed silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with a mean size of ∼2.59 ± 0.639 nm is manufactured continuously in ∼2 min at ∼50-55 °C using a green solvent, formic acid. The AgNP size becomes smaller when increasing the polymer concentration gradually. Small NPs with a narrow size distribution are produced at high MWP (40 W), but large ones with a broad size distribution at low MWP (10 W). The nylon-6 crystallinity is NP size-dependent, and the γ-phase (pseudo-hexagonal crystal) is dominant in the presence of small NPs as against the large counterparts. Given the small-sized AgNPs in the MWF-manufactured NCs, the antibacterial activity tests with Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa show superior activity compared to that of the large AgNP-bearing (∼50 nm) NCs produced in a conventional heating fluidic system. The proposed MWFS can manufacture other added-value NCs continuously

Pool boiling heat transfer of ferrofluids on structured hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces: the effect of magnetic field

The combined effect of external magnetic field and surface modification on boiling heat transfer of ferrofluids was investigated in this study. Experiments were performed on suspensions of Fe3O4 nanoparticles (volume fraction of 0.025% vf%) with and without presence of magnetic field on structured (surfaces with artificial cavities) hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces. Surface related effects such as the hole diameter, pitch size and surface wettability on boiling heat transfer were revealed using the high speed camera system. According to the obtained results, application of magnetic field enhanced boiling heat transfer. The effect of magnetic field was more pronounced on surfaces with larger pitch sizes. Magnetic field promoted bubble nucleation on the superheated surfaces by generating an additional force via Fe3O4 nanoparticles, resulting in enhanced bubblebubble interactions and coalescence. Furthermore, the surfaces with the larger cavity diameter performed better in terms of heat transfer. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images showed that as the cavity diameter decreased, deposited nanoparticles tended to completely fill the cavities on hydrophilic surfaces and thus deteriorate boiling heat transfer. On hydrophobic surfaces, deposition of nanoparticles led to a biphilic surface, thereby enhancing boiling heat transfer. As the cavity size increased, smaller portion of the cavities was filled with nanoparticles, and nucleation could still occur from the nucleation sites