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Updated: Dec 23, 2025

Pool-Boiling Heat-Transfer Enhancement on Cylindrical Surfaces with Hybrid Wettable Patterns
Published on: April 10, 2017
Switchable Wettability for Condensation Heat Transfer
Jonathan M Ludwicki1, Franklin L Robinson2, Paul H Steen1
1Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States.
Abstract:
Condensation proceeds as dropwise or filmwise depending on the wettability of the condensing surface. These two modes of condensation have disparate heat transfer coefficients, with dropwise often exceeding filmwise. This work reports a surface with switchable superhydrophilic to hydrophobic wetting behavior that can exhibit both modes of condensation. Relative to the highly wetting state, which yields filmwise condensation, the nonwetting state exhibits dropwise condensation and twice the heat transfer coefficient. Relevance to thermal management is additionally discussed.
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