Assessment of Nanostructured Capillary Wicks for Passive, Two-Phase Heat Transport

The major factors limiting the thermal performance of passive two-phase heat–spreading devices are the ability of the wick structures to transport liquid by means of capillary forces and the thermal resistance posed by the wicks. Nano-scale geometric enhancements to the wick structure, through the use of carbon nanotubes and metallic nanowires, promise to enhance the capillary transport while at the same time decreasing the thermal resistance due to their high intrinsic thermal conductivity. We analyze the performance of nanostructured wicks in heat-spreading applications. We report that the flow resistance of nanostructures constitutes a major barrier to § Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Phone: +1 (765) 494-5621