Pool boiling characteristics on the micro-pillar structured surface with nanostructure and heterogeneous wettability

The nucleate boiling phenomenon is significantly affected by the wettability of the surface because it is greatly influenced by the motion of the solid–liquid–gas triplet formed by the behavior of bubbles on the heated surface. Hydrophilic surfaces have a high critical heat flux, and hydrophobic surfaces have low onset of nucleate boiling points and high heat transfer coefficients. To design an optimal boiling surface with the advantages of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces, in this study, parametric experiments were performed according to the spacing of the micropillar, the presence or absence of nanostructures, and the presence or absence of hydrophobic treatment on the surface where the nanostructure was hierarchically modified to the micropillar array structure in which the upper surface of the pillar was hydrophobic. Using the micro-pillar fabrication process and the heterogeneous hydrophobic surface fabrication process, a micro-pillar structure with hydrophobic treatment on top of the pillar was fabricated. Pool boiling experiments were conducted on uniform hydrophilic surfaces, uniform hydrophobic surfaces, hydrophobic patterns on hydrophilic surfaces, micro-pillar surfaces, micro-pillar with nanostructure surfaces, micro-pillar surfaces with heterogeneous wettability, and micro-pillar with nanostructure surfaces with heterogeneous wettability. Based on the experimental data, we analyzed the change in boiling heat transfer coefficients and critical heat flux according to the surface characteristics. Based on experimental results, it was confirmed that the optimal boiling surface should be a surface with heterogeneous wettability, microstructure, and nanostructure.