With the increasing power densities in electronic components, micro and nanoscale thermal management is an area of continued importance and active research. The same is true for emerging portable energy technologies such as solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), which need to operate at temperatures as high as 1000°C. The large local heat fluxes associated with these devices (100-1000 W/cm^2) require technologies that can rapidly and effectively remove, distribute, transport and dispose these heat loads. At the MTFL we work on localized and global cooling solutions based on micro and nanotechnology.

One prominent technology in this area is two-phase microchannel cooling. However, there are key challenges associated with this type of microscale cooling regime that must be addressed before realistic and successful solutions based on this technology are implemented. The lengthscales associated with microchannel cooling preclude the occurrence of conventional forced convective boiling regimes, particularly those involving dispersed phases. Instead, bubble confinement leads to the formation of vapor slugs and annular flows, which are metastable regimes that can induce system instabilities and can quickly lead to microchannel dryout, an undesirable condition. We are interested in understanding the mechanics of microscale boiling and confined phase change, and in harnessing and controlling its behavior in both medium and large scale microchannel based cooling systems. We are also looking at the use of nanostructured wicking materials, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and nanospheres arrays, for enhanced performance of heat pipes and vapor chambers. The idea is to enhance the capillary pumping action by using these nanostructures in fractal like geometries and arrangements such as those encountered in natural porous media .