We use a micrometer-scale optical beam deflection technique to measure the thermodiffusion coefficient D(T) at room temperature (approximately 24 degrees C) of dilute aqueous suspensions of charged polystyrene spheres with different surface functionalities. In solutions with large concentrations of monovalent salts, < or approximately = 100 mM, the thermodiffusion coefficients for 26 nm spheres with carboxyl functionality can be varied within the range -0.9 x 10(-7) cm2 s(-1) K(-1) < D(T) < 1.5 x 10(-7) cm2 s(-1) K(-1) by changing the ionic species in solution; in this case, D(T) is the product of the electrophoretic mobility mu(E) and the Seebeck coefficient of the electrolyte, S(e) = (Q(C)* - Q(A)*)/2eT, D(T) = -S(e) mu(E), where and are the single ion heats of transport of the cationic and anionic species, respectively. In low ionic strength solutions of LiCl, < or approximately = 5 mM, and particle concentrations < or approximately = 2 wt %, D(T) is negative, independent of particle concentration and independent of the Debye length; D(T) = -0.73 +/- 0.05 x 10(-7) cm2 s(-1) K(-1).

Measurements of particle flows driven by temperature gradients are conducted as a function of temperature on aqueous suspensions of polystyrene nanoparticles and proteins of T4 lysozyme and mutant variants of T4 lysozyme. The thermodiffusion coefficients are measured using a microfluidic beam deflection technique on suspensions with particle concentrations on the order of 1 vol %. At T < or ~ 20 degrees C, all of the nanoparticles studied migrate to the hot regions of the fluid; i.e., the thermodiffusion coefficient is negative. At higher temperature, T > or ~ 50 degrees C, the thermodiffusion coefficient is positive with a value consistent with the predictions of a theoretical model originally proposed by Derjaguin that is based on the enthalpy changes due to polarization of water molecules in the double layer.

We describe an optical beam deflection technique for measurements of the thermal diffusivity of fluid mixtures and suspensions of nanoparticles with a precision of better than 1%. Our approach is tested using the thermal conductivity of ethanol-water mixtures; in nearly pure ethanol, the increase in thermal conductivity with water concentration is a factor of 2 larger than predicted by effective medium theory. Solutions of C 60 -C 70 fullerenes in toluene and suspensions of alkanethiolate-protected Au nanoparticles were measured to maximum volume fractions of 0.6% and 0.35 vol %, respectively. We do not observe anomalous enhancements of the thermal conductivity that have been reported in previous studies of nanofluids; the largest increase in thermal conductivity we have observed is 1.3% ± 0.8% for 4 nm diam Au particles suspended in ethanol.

A comprehensive numerical and experimental investigation on micrometer-sized water droplet impact dynamics and evaporation on an unheated, flat, dry surface is conducted from the standpoint of spray-cooling technology. The axisymmetric time-dependent governing equations of continuity, momentum, energy, and species are solved. Surface tension, wall adhesion effect, gravitational body force, contact line dynamics, and evaporation are accounted for in the governing equations. The explicit volume of fluid (VOF) model with dynamic meshing and variable-time stepping in serial and parallel processors is used to capture the time-dependent liquid-gas interface motion throughout the computational domain. The numerical model includes temperature- and species-dependent thermodynamic and transport properties. The contact line dynamics and the evaporation rate are predicted using Blake's and Schrage's molecular kinetic models, respectively. An extensive grid independence study was conducted. Droplet impingement and evaporation data are acquired with a standard dispensing/imaging system and high-speed photography. The numerical results are compared with measurements reported in the literature for millimeter-size droplets and with current microdroplet experiments in terms of instantaneous droplet shape and temporal spread (R/D(0) or R/R(E)), flatness ratio (H/D(0)), and height (H/H(E)) profiles, as well as temporal volume (inverted A) profile. The Weber numbers (We) for impinging droplets vary from 1.4 to 35.2 at nearly constant Ohnesorge number (Oh) of approximately 0.025-0.029. Both numerical and experimental results show that there is air bubble entrapment due to impingement. Numerical results indicate that Blake's formulation provides better results than the static (SCA) and dynamic contact angle (DCA) approach in terms of temporal evolution of R/D(0) and H/D(0) (especially at the initial stages of spreading) and equilibrium flatness ratio (H(E)/D(0)). Blake's contact line dynamics is dependent on the wetting parameter (K(W)). Both numerical and experimental results suggest that at 4.5 < We < 11.0 the short-time dynamics of microdroplet impingement corresponds to a transition regime between two different spreading regimes (i.e., for We < or = 4.5, impingement is followed by spreading, then contact line pinning and then inertial oscillations, and for We > or = 11.0, impingement is followed by spreading, then recoiling, then contact line pinning and then inertial oscillations). Droplet evaporation can be satisfactorily modeled using the Schrage model, since it predicts both well-defined transient and quasi-steady evaporation stages. The model compares well with measurements in terms of flatness ratio (H/H(E)) before depinning occurs. Toroidal vortices are formed on the droplet surface in the gaseous phase due to buoyancy-induced Rayleigh-Taylor instability that enhances convection.

We use the 3ω method to study the thermal conductivity of composites of nanoscale alumina particles in polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) matrices. Effective medium theory and data for the changes in conductivity produced by low volume fractions of particle fillers are used to estimate the thermal conductance G of PMMA/alumina interfaces in the temperature range of 40&lt;T&lt;280 K. Near room temperature, G≈30±10 MW m−2 K−1 and the critical particle radius, r0=Λ0/G, is extremely small, r0≈7.5±2.5 nm. (Λ0=0.205 W m−1 K−1 is the conductivity of the PMMA matrix.) Therefore, high volume fractions of typical ceramic nanoparticles with r≫r0 can be used in thermal interface materials such as adhesives, pastes, and pads.

Controlling coalescence events in a heterogeneous ensemble of condensing droplets on a surface is an outstanding fundamental challenge in surface and interfacial sciences, with a broad practical importance in applications ranging from thermal management of high-performance electronic devices to moisture management in high-humidity environments. Nature-inspired superhydrophobic surfaces have been actively explored to enhance heat and mass transfer rates by achieving favorable dynamics during dropwise condensation; however, the effectiveness of such chemically homogeneous surfaces has been limited because condensing droplets tend to form as pinned Wenzel drops rather than mobile Cassie ones. Here, we introduce an amphiphilic nanostructured surface, consisting of a hydrophilic base with hydrophobic tips, which promotes the periodic regeneration of nucleation sites for small droplets, thus rendering the surface self-rejuvenating. This unique amphiphilic nanointerface generates an arrangement of condensed Wenzel droplets that are fluidically linked by a wetted sublayer, promoting previously unobserved coalescence events where numerous droplets simultaneously merge, without direct contact. Such ensemble coalescences rapidly create fresh nucleation sites, thereby shifting the overall population toward smaller droplets and enhancing the rates of mass and heat transfer during condensation.

An ac beam deflection technique for measurements of thermodiffusion in liquid mixtures is described. In comparison to conventional beam deflection methods, the micron-scale geometry of our apparatus speeds up equilibration by a factor of ≈300. Our apparatus and analysis methods are validated with measurements on molecular polystyrene dissolved in toluene. Thermodiffusion experiments on 26 nm polystyrene colloids with carboxyl functionality (COOH) in water yield Soret coefficients of ST=−0.28±0.025 K−1.

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