Effects of Heat Source Temperature, Nanostructure, and Wettability on Explosive Boiling of Ultra-Thin Liquid Argon Film Over Graphene Substrate: A Molecular Dynamics Study

Abstract

Background: The study on explosive boiling phenomenon has received increasing attention because it involves many industries, such as advanced micro-, nano-electromechanical and nano-electronic cooling systems, laser steam cleaning, and so on. Objective: In the present work, the explosive boiling of ultra-thin liquid film over two-dimensional nanomaterial surface in confined space with particular emphasis under the three different influencing factors: various heights of nanostructures, various wetting conditions of solid-liquid interface as well as various heat source temperatures. Methods: Molecular Dynamics simulations (MDs) in present work have been adopted to simulate the whole explosive boiling process. Results: For different heat source temperature case, the higher the heat temperature is, the less time the explosive boiling spends after relaxation. For nanostructure case, nanostructure surface significantly increases heat transfer rate and then leads to the increase of phase transition rate of explosive boiling. For different wetting property case, the increase of surface wettability results in an increase of phase transition to some degree. Conclusion: The addition of nanostructures, the higher heat source temperature and good wettability between thin liquid film and substrate surface dramatically improve thermal heat transfer from solid surface to liquid film, which will give rise to explosive boiling occur. In addition, the non-vaporized argon layer still exists in these three factors despite continuous thermal transmission from the substrate surface to liquid argon film adjacent to the solid surface even other vaporized argon atoms.