Stable Dropwise Condensation of Ethanol and Hexane on Rationally Designed Ultrascalable Nanostructured Lubricant-Infused Surfaces

Soumyadip Sett, Peter Sokalski, Kalyan Boyina, Longnan Li, Kazi Fazle Rabbi, Harpreet Auby, Thomas Foulkes, Allison Mahvi, George Barac, Leslie W. Bolton, Nenad Miljkovic

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Vapor condensation is a widely used industrial process for transferring heat and separating fluids. Despite progress in developing low surface energy hydrophobic and micro/nanostructured superhydrophobic coatings to enhance water vapor condensation, demonstration of stable dropwise condensation of low-surface-tension fluids has not been achieved. Here, we develop rationally designed nanoengineered lubricant-infused surfaces (LISs) having ultralow contact angle hysteresis (<3°) for stable dropwise condensation of ethanol (γ≈ 23 mN/m) and hexane (γ≈ 19 mN/m). Using a combination of optical imaging and rigorous heat transfer measurements in a controlled environmental chamber free from noncondensable gases (<4 Pa), we characterize the condensation behavior of ethanol and hexane on ultrascalable nanostructured CuO surfaces impregnated with fluorinated lubricants having varying viscosities (0.496 < μ < 5.216 Pa·s) and chemical structures (branched versus linear, Krytox and Fomblin). We demonstrate stable dropwise condensation of ethanol and hexane on LISs impregnated with Krytox 1525, attaining about 200% enhancement in condensation heat transfer coefficient for both fluids compared to filmwise condensation on hydrophobic surfaces. In contrast to previous studies, we use 7 h of steady dropwise condensation experiments to demonstrate the importance of rational lubricant selection to minimize lubricant drainage and maximize LIS durability. This work not only demonstrates an avenue to achieving stable dropwise condensation of ethanol and hexane, it develops the fundamental design principles for creating durable LISs for enhanced condensation heat transfer of low-surface-tension fluids.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)5287-5296
Number of pages10
JournalNano letters
Volume19
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 14 2019

Keywords

  • LIS
  • SLIPS
  • dropwise condensation
  • ethanol
  • heat transfer
  • hexane
  • low-surface-tension

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Bioengineering
  • General Chemistry
  • General Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Mechanical Engineering

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Stable Dropwise Condensation of Ethanol and Hexane on Rationally Designed Ultrascalable Nanostructured Lubricant-Infused Surfaces'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this