Geological formations have superior wickability and support the absorption of water and oils into narrow spaces of Earth’s crust without external assistance. In this study, we present speleothem inspired heterogeneous porous and wicked copper (Cu)/nickel (Ni) interfaces for enhanced nucleate boiling of water/ethanol mixtures for energy-efficient separation processes. The incorporation of Ni strands within the copper particle matrix significantly enhanced heat transfer. Compared to plain copper, the Cu/Ni speleothem surfaces exhibited a 61% increase in the heat transfer coefficient for water/ethanol mixtures and a 332% increase for water, with a 58% faster onset of nucleate boiling. This enhancement was attributed to Marangoni and Soret effects at the Cu/Ni interfaces, driven by surface tension and concentration gradients. Furthermore, the synergistic wicking action of the Ni strands facilitated rewetting of the surface, replenishing liquid to the porous nucleation sites and preventing surface dry-out, thereby improving the overall heat transfer performance.

中文翻译：

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受洞穴植物启发的铜/镍界面，通过马兰戈尼和索雷效应增强液-气传输


地质构造具有优异的芯吸性，无需外部帮助即可将水和油吸收到地壳的狭窄空间中。在这项研究中，我们提出了受洞穴植物启发的异质多孔和芯吸铜（Cu）/镍（Ni）界面，用于增强水/乙醇混合物的核沸腾，从而实现节能分离过程。在铜颗粒基体中加入镍股显着增强了传热。与普通铜相比，Cu/Ni 洞穴表面的水/乙醇混合物的传热系数增加了 61%，水的传热系数增加了 332%，泡核沸腾的起始速度加快了 58%。这种增强归因于表面张力和浓度梯度驱动的 Cu/Ni 界面处的 Marangoni 和 Soret 效应。此外，镍丝的协同芯吸作用促进了表面的再润湿，向多孔成核位点补充液体并防止表面干燥，从而提高了整体传热性能。