Preparation of hierarchical microgroove textures on the surface of Al-based wicks by roller pressing and laser scanning irradiation

Fabrication of high-performance heat pipe wicks has become a major challenge due to the increase of heat dissipation requirements for electronic devices. In this paper, we propose a two-step method for the preparation of aluminum liquid-absorbing wicks with hierarchical groove structures by roller pressing and laser irradiation techniques. The effects of laser fluence and velocity on the groove morphology, wettability and capillary effect of the aluminum wicks with hierarchical grooves processed by laser scanning are investigated. The study demonstrates that sub-scale grooves with a period of 20 μm can be created on the surface of the aluminum wick using a laser fluence of 7.166 J/cm2, scanning velocities of 560 mm/s and 630 mm/s, and a pulse distance of 1 μm. The surface roughness of the irradiated aluminum wick was increased and energy dispersive spectroscopy tests showed an increase in the oxygen content of the machined surface, resulting in a surface amplification effect and the formation of a large number of hydrogen bonds in contact with the liquid. Capillary rise experiments demonstrate that hierarchical microgrooves enhance capillary action on the surface of the aluminum wick more effectively than single-scale grooves. This is due to the pumping effect in microgrooves and the diffusion effect in Ω-grooves. The hierarchical microgroove prepared under the above parameters had a capillary rise height of 88.5 mm and a capillary rise speed of 5.5 mm/s. This work proposes a method for producing high-performance wicks that are both efficient and cost-effective. •A low-cost, efficient, and green method for the preparation of wicks was proposed.•The effect of laser intensity and speed on the performance of wicks was studied.•Sub-scale grooves with a period of 20 μm were prepared with a contact angle of 0°.•The capillary rise height was 88.5 mm, and the capillary rise velocity was 5.5 mm/s.•Hierarchical microgroove structure significantly improves capillary force.