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ISSN Online: 2377-424X

ISBN CD: 1-56700-226-9

ISBN Online: 1-56700-225-0

International Heat Transfer Conference 13
August, 13-18, 2006, Sydney, Australia

CRITICAL DROPLETS ON MICRO-STRUCTURED, ALUMINUM, HEAT-TRANSFER SURFACES

Get access (open in a dialog) DOI: 10.1615/IHTC13.p12.450
12 pages

Abstract

A method for creating controlled micro-scale, anisotropic topological features on aluminum surfaces is presented, and the effects of these surface features on wetting and droplet retention are quantified. This method for manipulating surface wettability relies solely on surface topology and does not require subsequent chemical treatment. The static contact angle for water droplets injected by syringe onto these etched surfaces is shown to increase by as much as 54° for grooves nominally 30 μm wide by 30 μm deep. Lower overall critical angles of inclination are required for droplets to begin sliding on these surfaces, and the critical drop diameters are reduced by about 50%. Frost is also grown and then melted on these surfaces, and an increase of up to 47% over the baseline surface is observed in the fraction of water that drains from these surfaces.