Youngsuk Nam

We report our dynamic analysis of coalescence-induced jumping on superhydrophobic surfaces with a full 3D numerical model supported with experiments. The analysis shows that approximately half (40%–60%) of the released surface energy during the coalescence is converted to kinetic energy before the detachment starts. The rapid increase in the kinetic energy at the beginning is initiated from low pressure associated with the high negative curvature of a liquid bridge. The asymmetric nature of the

We report the fabrication of dense arrays of super-hydrophilic Cu microposts at solid fractions as high as 58% and aspect ratios as high as four using electrochemical deposition and chemical oxidation techniques. Oxygen surface plasma treatments of photoresist molds and a precise control of the initial electrodeposition current are found to be critical in creating arrays of nearly defect-free Cu posts. The capillary performance of the micropost arrays is characterized using capillary rate of ris

A comparative study of oxidation methods to create Cu surfaces with controlled wettability is reported. Micro/nanostructures of Cu oxides are formed on Cu substrates using different chemical and thermal oxidation methods. The morphology and wetting characteristics of the resulting surfaces are characterized using atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and contact angle measurements. Chemical oxidation in alkali solutions can form uniform copper oxide layers wit

The growth and departure of single bubbles on two smooth surfaces with very different wettabilities are studied using high-speed video microscopy and numerical simulations. Isolated artificial cavities of approximately 10 μm diameter are microfabricated on both a bare and a Teflon-coated silicon substrate to serve as nucleation sites. The bubble departure diameter is observed to be almost 3 times larger and the growth period almost 60 times longer for the hydrophobic surface than for the hydroph

Micro heat pipes incorporating advanced wicks are promising for the thermal management of power electronics. We report the heat transfer performance of superhydrophilic Cu micropost wicks fabricated on thin silicon substrates using electrochemical deposition and controlled chemical oxidation. For a fixed post diameter, the interpost spacing and hence solid fraction is found to be a main design factor affecting the effective heat transfer coefficient and critical heat flux. The effective heat tra

We observe stable steady-periodic vapor bubble nucleation on islands of nanoscopically smooth hydrophobic materials microfabricated on a silicon substrate. The minimum surface superheat required for the onset of bubble nucleation is very low (∼9 °C), which cannot be explained by the established models of heterogeneous bubble nucleation. A modified bubble nucleation model indicates that the observed minimum superheat can be explained when one assumes the existence of a nanoscale interfacial gas p

We report our hydrodynamic and energy analyses of droplet coalescence on water repellent surfaces including hydrophobic, superhydrophobic and oil-infused superhydrophobic surfaces. The receding contact angle has significant effects on the contact line dynamics since the contact line dissipation was more significant during the receding mode than advancing. The contact line dynamics is modeled by the damped harmonic oscillation equation, which shows that the damping ratio and angular frequency of

We introduce a thin (<200 nm) superhydrophobic cerium-oxide surface formed by a one-step wet chemical process to enhance the condensation heat-transfer performance with improved thermal stability compared to silane-treated surfaces. The developed cerium-oxide surface showed a superhydrophobic characteristic with a low (<5°) contact angle hysteresis because of the unique surface morphology and hydrophobicity of cerium oxide. The surface was successfully incorporated to popular engineering materia