The present study describes a dual-stage electroplating method developed to construct numerous active nucleation sites on a target surface for the purpose of enhancing the pool boiling heat transfer performance. Electroplating with high current densities (0.17 ∼ 1.2 A/cm2) builds micro-scale copper dendrites and nodules on the base surface (oxygen free copper) and low current density electroplating (fixed, 0.05 A/cm2) follows to achieve the strong bonding strength of the micro-structures, which enable the coating to be robust in terms of corrosion and endurance. Pool boiling experiments show that the electroplated surfaces extend the boiling critical heat flux by 40∼70% for two working fluids tested and augment the boiling heat transfer coefficients by ∼700% and ∼600% in saturated R-123 and FC-72, respectively, at atmospheric pressure over a baseline (plain surface).

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