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Biomimetic Design for Enhanced Thermal Performance of Vapor Chambers

Author

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  • Jingyu Shen

    (College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
    Institute of Bio-Inspired Structure and Surface Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China)

  • Ce Guo

    (College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
    Institute of Bio-Inspired Structure and Surface Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China)

Abstract

Vapor chambers (VCs) are efficient heat spreaders that rely on wicks to realize the circulation of a phase-changing working liquid and can be used to address heat dissipation problems in electronic devices, aerospace, and satellite equipment. In this study, we propose a novel vapor chamber with biomimetic wick structures and composite lattice supports to enhance the thermal management and load-bearing performance of vapor chambers. The experiments and COMSOL multiphysics 6.1 simulation results indicate that the biomimetic design can improve the startup performance, thermal management, and load-bearing performance of the VC. Compared to conventional VCs, at a filling ratio of 20% the biomimetic VC reduces the time to reach a steady state by 11.7% and improves the uniformity of temperature by 7.74%. This study provides a novel design concept for VCs and verifies the operating performance of vapor in high heat flux density cases, providing a reference for the innovative design and enhanced heat transfer of phase change-based thermal management equipment.

Suggested Citation

  • Jingyu Shen & Ce Guo, 2025. "Biomimetic Design for Enhanced Thermal Performance of Vapor Chambers," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-22, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:5:p:1250-:d:1604882
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Chen, Gong & Tang, Yong & Duan, Longhua & Tang, Heng & Zhong, Guisheng & Wan, Zhenping & Zhang, Shiwei & Fu, Ting, 2020. "Thermal performance enhancement of micro-grooved aluminum flat plate heat pipes applied in solar collectors," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 2234-2242.
    2. Liaofei Yin & Zhonglin Yang & Kexin Zhang & Yingli Xue & Chao Dang, 2023. "Heat Transfer of Water Flow Boiling in Nanostructured Open Microchannels," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-11, January.
    3. Yujuan Xia & Feng Yao & Mengxiang Wang, 2023. "Experimental Investigation on Thermal Performance of Vapor Chambers with Diffident Wick Structures," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-16, September.
    4. Luo, Lizhong & Huang, Bi & Bai, Xingying & Cheng, Zongyi & Jian, Qifei, 2020. "Temperature uniformity improvement of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack with ultra-thin vapor chambers," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
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