Superhydrophobic copper tubes with possible flow enhancement and drag reduction

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Shirtcliffe, N.J., McHale, G., Newton, M.I. ORCID: 0000-0003-4231-1002 and Zhang, Y., 2009. Superhydrophobic copper tubes with possible flow enhancement and drag reduction. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 1 (6), pp. 1316-1323. ISSN 1944-8244

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/am9001937

Abstract

The transport of a Newtonian liquid through a smooth pipe or tube is dominated by the frictional drag on the liquid against the walls. The resistance to flow against a solid can, however, be reduced by introducing a layer of gas at or near the boundary between the solid and liquid. This can occur by the vaporization of liquid at a surface at a temperature above the Leidenfrost point, by a cushion of air (e.g. below a hovercraft), or by producing bubbles at the interface. These methods require a continuous energy input, but a more recent discovery is the possibility of using a superhydrophobic surface. Most reported research uses small sections of lithographically patterned surfaces and rarely considers pressure differences or varying flow rates. In this work we present a method for creating a uniform superhydrophobic nanoribbon layer on the inside of round copper tubes of millimetric internal radius.

Item Type:

Journal article

Publication Title:

ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces

Creators:

Shirtcliffe, N.J., McHale, G., Newton, M.I. and Zhang, Y.

Publisher:

American Chemical Society (ACS Publications)

Place of Publication:

Washington, DC

Date:

2009