Inhibiting the Leidenfrost effect above 1,000 °C for sustained thermal cooling

Mengnan Jiang, Yang Wang, Fayu Liu, Hanheng Du, Yuchao Li, Huanhuan Zhang, Suet To, Steven Wang, Chin Pan, Jihong Yu (), David Quéré () and Zuankai Wang ()
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Mengnan Jiang: City University of Hong Kong
Yang Wang: City University of Hong Kong
Fayu Liu: City University of Hong Kong
Hanheng Du: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Yuchao Li: City University of Hong Kong
Huanhuan Zhang: City University of Hong Kong
Suet To: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Steven Wang: City University of Hong Kong
Chin Pan: City University of Hong Kong
Jihong Yu: Jilin University
David Quéré: Physique & Mécanique des Milieux Hétérogènes, UMR 7636 du CNRS, ESPCI, PSL Research University
Zuankai Wang: City University of Hong Kong

Nature, 2022, vol. 601, issue 7894, 568-572

Abstract: Abstract The Leidenfrost effect, namely the levitation of drops on hot solids1, is known to deteriorate heat transfer at high temperature2. The Leidenfrost point can be elevated by texturing materials to favour the solid–liquid contact2–10 and by arranging channels at the surface to decouple the wetting phenomena from the vapour dynamics3. However, maximizing both the Leidenfrost point and thermal cooling across a wide range of temperatures can be mutually exclusive3,7,8. Here we report a rational design of structured thermal armours that inhibit the Leidenfrost effect up to 1,150 °C, that is, 600 °C more than previously attained, yet preserving heat transfer. Our design consists of steel pillars serving as thermal bridges, an embedded insulating membrane that wicks and spreads the liquid and U-shaped channels for vapour evacuation. The coexistence of materials with contrasting thermal and geometrical properties cooperatively transforms normally uniform temperatures into non-uniform ones, generates lateral wicking at all temperatures and enhances thermal cooling. Structured thermal armours are limited only by their melting point, rather than by a failure in the design. The material can be made flexible, and thus attached to substrates otherwise challenging to structure. Our strategy holds the potential to enable the implementation of efficient water cooling at ultra-high solid temperatures, which is, to date, an uncharted property.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04307-3

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