Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 13, 2026
07:32
Pool-Boiling Heat-Transfer Enhancement on Cylindrical Surfaces with Hybrid Wettable Patterns
Published on: April 10, 2017
9.5K
Hydrodynamic thermal confinement: creating thermo-chemical microenvironments on surfaces
J F Cors1, A Stucki1, G V Kaigala1
1IBM Research - Zurich, Säumerstrasse 4, 8803 Rüschlikon, Switzerland. gov@zurich.ibm.com.
Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)
|October 28, 2016
Summary
We developed Hydrodynamic Thermal Confinement (HTC) to create precise, localized temperature changes on biological surfaces. This scanning probe technology enables dynamic control of microenvironments for biological research.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Microfluidics
- Thermal Engineering
Background:
- Precise control over microscale thermal environments is crucial for studying biological processes.
- Existing methods often lack the spatial resolution or dynamic range required for in vivo applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce Hydrodynamic Thermal Confinement (HTC) as a novel method for generating dynamic thermo-chemical microenvironments.
- To demonstrate the implementation of HTC using a scanning probe under physiological conditions.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a scanning probe system to deliver controlled thermal gradients.
- Operating the system under physiological conditions to mimic biological settings.
- Precisely regulating temperature between 30°C and 80°C with high accuracy (±0.2°C).
Main Results:
- Achieved precise temperature regulation within a microscale footprint (∼50 μm × 80 μm).
- Demonstrated rapid temperature ramps of 5°C s⁻¹.
- Successfully created dynamic thermo-chemical microenvironments in a small volume (∼50 pl).
Conclusions:
- Hydrodynamic Thermal Confinement (HTC) offers a versatile platform for creating controlled microenvironments on biological surfaces.
- This technology facilitates advanced studies in cellular dynamics and biochemical reactions at the microscale.
- HTC provides a new tool for researchers in biophysics and related fields requiring precise thermal control.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Mechanisms of Heat Transfer II
5.0K
In convection, thermal energy is carried by the large-scale flow of matter. Ocean currents and large-scale atmospheric circulation, which result from the buoyancy of warm air and water, transfer hot air from the tropics toward the poles and cold air from the poles toward the tropics. The Earth’s rotation interacts with those flows, causing the observed eastward flow of air in the temperate zones. Convection dominates heat transfer by air, and the amount of available space for the airflow...
5.0K
01:14Mechanisms of Heat Transfer
1.9K
Heat transfer between the human body and its environment occurs through four main mechanisms: conduction, convection, radiation, and evaporation.
Conduction, accounting for approximately 3% of body heat loss at rest, is the process of exchanging heat between molecules of two materials in direct contact. This can result in both heat loss and gain. For instance, when the body is submerged in water, which conducts heat 20 times more effectively than air, it can either lose or gain significant...
Conduction, accounting for approximately 3% of body heat loss at rest, is the process of exchanging heat between molecules of two materials in direct contact. This can result in both heat loss and gain. For instance, when the body is submerged in water, which conducts heat 20 times more effectively than air, it can either lose or gain significant...
1.9K
01:14Mechanisms of Heat Transfer I
7.0K
Just as interesting as the effects of heat transfer on a system are the methods by which the heat transfer occur. Whenever there is a temperature difference, heat transfer occurs. It may occur rapidly, such as through a cooking pan, or slowly, such as through the walls of a picnic ice box. So many processes involve heat transfer that it is hard to imagine a situation where no heat transfer occurs. Yet, every heat transfer takes place by only three methods: conduction, convection, and radiation.
7.0K
01:19Mechanism of heat transfer
2.1K
Understanding heat transfer mechanisms is essential for understanding how our bodies maintain balance in different environmental conditions. When the environment is thermoneutral, the body is in a state of balance, neither using nor releasing energy to maintain its core temperature. However, when the environment is not thermoneutral, the body employs four heat transfer mechanisms to maintain homeostasis: conduction, convection, evaporation, and radiation. These mechanisms facilitate heat...
2.1K
01:11Temperature and Thermal Equilibrium
9.9K
Heat and temperature are essential concepts for everyone every day. The study of heat and temperature is part of an area of physics known as thermodynamics. It is not always easy to distinguish heat and temperature.
The concept of temperature has evolved from the common concepts of hot and cold. The scientific definition of temperature explains more than just our sense of hot and cold. Temperature is operationally defined as the quantity measured with a thermometer. Furthermore, temperature is...
The concept of temperature has evolved from the common concepts of hot and cold. The scientific definition of temperature explains more than just our sense of hot and cold. Temperature is operationally defined as the quantity measured with a thermometer. Furthermore, temperature is...
9.9K
01:27Thermal expansion and Thermal stress: Problem Solving
2.3K
San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge is exposed to temperatures ranging from -15 °C to 40 °C. At its coldest, the main span of the bridge is 1275 m long. Assuming that the bridge is made entirely of steel, what is the change in its length between these temperatures?
To solve the problem, first, identify the known and unknown quantities. The initial length (L) of the bridge is 1275 m, the coefficient of linear expansion (α) for steel is 12 x 10-6/°C, and the change in temperature (ΔT) is 55...
To solve the problem, first, identify the known and unknown quantities. The initial length (L) of the bridge is 1275 m, the coefficient of linear expansion (α) for steel is 12 x 10-6/°C, and the change in temperature (ΔT) is 55...
2.3K