Review of enhancing boiling and condensation heat transfer: Surface modification

Data centers have tended to develop towards large scale and high density, with overall power consumption reaching up to 3 % of the total national electricity consumption. It is vital to establish energy-efficient electronic cooling devices for data center improvement. Phase-change heat transfer has emerged as a highly efficient method for addressing the heat dissipation problem. As the demand for micro-electronic cooling devices grows, enhancing the phase-change heat transfer has been a key focus of engineering research for several decades. Surface modification can effectively facilitate heat transfer favored by the surface area expansion and free energy transition. This review delved into the multiple processes involved in phase-change heat transfer, containing boiling and condensation. Considering the surface roughness and free energy, the wettability theories and manipulations of hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces were presented. The fabrication techniques available for modified surfaces mainly comprise coating, etching, template, sol-gen, and layer-by-layer assembly methods. The effects of patterned surface, wettability gradient surface, electrowetting surface, and wettability controllable surface on phase-change heat transfer enhancement were elaborated, particularly for the critical heat flux and heat transfer coefficients. This review of experimental and simulation results showed that surface wettability modification possesses a promising prospect in improving heat transfer performance. In this review, recommendations for the design of surface modification to promote the development of energy-efficient technologies in specific artificial environments were proposed. Further theoretical and experimental efforts need to create novel surfaces that can facilitate high-performance phase-change heat transfer across a range of applications. •Detailed methods used to achieve surface modification were elaborated.•Design methods of highly-effective surfaces were discussed and recommended.•Various improvements of condensation and boiling heat transfer were examined.•Hybrid surfaces are proven to enhance thermal performance better than single ones.•Electrowetting surfaces exhibit the best performance in modified applications.