Cassie-to-Wenzel transition of liquid metal on laser-structured substrates via water evaporation for reducing thermal contact resistance
Abstract
Ga-based liquid metal has attracted widespread attention in thermal management owing to its high thermal conductivity. However, its ultrahigh surface tension hinders effective wetting on structured surfaces. Air gaps are easily created at the solid/liquid interface, thereby increasing the thermal contact resistance. In this study, the wettability of liquid metal is controlled by laser irradiation and water evaporation. The real contact area of solid surface is improved by a femtosecond laser, and liquid metal is infiltrated into microstructures through negative pressure generated by water evaporation. The resultant surfaces exhibit a higher adhesion to liquid metal and a higher thermal conductivity compared to the original surfaces. This approach offers a promising pathway for advancing liquid metal-based thermal management systems.
Article Details
Journal Info
Applied Physics Letters
American Institute of Physics
Authors (6)
Jingzhou Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Ultrafast Optical Science and Technology, Xi'an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Xi'an 710119,
Zihan Liu
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Interfacial Science and Engineering of Materials, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, SUSTech Energy Institute for Carbon Neutrality, State Key Laboratory of Soil Pollution Control and Safety, School of Environmental Science and Engineering
Ning Wang
Yaohua Hou
State Key Laboratory of Ultrafast Optical Science and Technology, Xi'an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Xi'an 710119,
Jing Wang
Hunan Cancer Hospital Changsha China
Hualong Zhao
State Key Laboratory of Ultrafast Optical Science and Technology, Xi'an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Xi'an 710119,