Molecular Dynamic Study of Local Interfacial Thermal Resistance of Solid-Liquid and Solid-Solid Interfaces: Water and Nanotextured Surface

TL;DR

This study uses molecular dynamics simulations to explore how nanotextured surface features affect interfacial thermal resistance between solids and water or ice, revealing that narrower nanostructures and higher local water density reduce ITR.

Contribution

It provides new insights into how nanotexture and phase influence interfacial thermal resistance, aiding design of surfaces to control heat transfer.

Findings

Narrower nanostructure gaps decrease ITR.

Higher local water density correlates with lower ITR.

Ice phase increases local ITR due to fewer proximity molecules.

Abstract

Degradation in performances of air conditioners and refrigerators is caused by a frost formation and adhesion on the surface. In the present study, by means of the classical molecular dynamics simulation, we investigate how and how much the nanotextured surface characteristics, such as surface wettability and geometry, influenced the interfacial thermal resistance (ITR) between the solid wall and the water/ice. The ITR of the interfacial region was comparable in both the water and the ice states. As the nanostructure gaps became narrower, the ITR of the interfacial region decreased. The local ITR had a weak negative correlation with the local H2O molecule density regardless of the phase of the H2O molecules. The local ITR decreased as the local density increased. The greater amount of the thermal energy was transferred through the material interface by means of the intermolecular interaction when more the H2O molecules were located in the proximity area, which was closer to the Pt solid wall than the first adsorption layer peak. When the H2O molecules were in the crystal form on the solid wall, the proximity molecules decreased, and then the local ITR significantly increased.