International. Researchers at the Instituto Tecnológico de Georgia developed a coating that doubles the rate of heat transfer from a solid surface. This was achieved by adding a thin layer of alumina to the metal surface.
The conclusions of the research were presented by the journal of applied physics of the American Institute of Physics, in the publication it is explained that the pool boiling system is the most common and efficient method to heat a container; however, there is a critical point where the surface gets too hot causing the pool system to lose its efficiency.
Therein lies the importance of this new coating; according to the leader of the research with this new system, an important advance could be generated in terms of electronic thermal management, as well as to improve the efficiency of energy systems,
In the boiling process, the bubbles are responsible for loading a large amount of heat on the solid surfaces, but at the same time act as an insulator preventing the liquid from wetting the surface again, thus interrupting the heat transfer.
Instead, the new alumina coating has a high affinity with water resulting in rapid reweeping of the solid surface, improving the transfer process.
