I-Corps: Surface Innovation for Energy Efficiency and Water Management

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to develop a hybrid coating to improve the energy efficiency and water conservation in power plant condensers. Coatings are rarely found in a power plant condenser due to their poor durability. Existing enhanced condensers rely on low-fin tubes, which are costly and can only improve the condensation heat transfer of water marginally (< 150%). In addition to efficiency limitations, fouling and corrosion also are two major pain points for heat exchangers. The proposed technology is designed to achieve superior thermal and chemical properties, including high thermal conductivity, anti-corrosion, self-healing, and potentially anti-fouling. It is based on an engineered surface that can be retrofitted into existing or incorporated into newly built heat exchangers. In addition, the proposed technology has shown the potential to enhance energy and water efficiency across multiple industries and applications, including power generation, chemical processing, and marine applications. Due to its water repellency, this technology potentially may address fouling and corrosion problems for even broader applications, such as industrial cooling, agriculture, and the petrochemical industry. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a hybrid coating to enhance thermal conductivity and durability. The proposed technology is the combination of densely packed metal nanostructures with a hydrophobic thermoplastic polymer. In laboratory experiments conducted over 200 days, it was shown that over 700% condensation heat transfer of water was achieved on a coated sample as compared to a bare metal surface. In addition, the corrosion rate measured on the coated sample was 100x slower than on a copper substrate, demonstrating high anti-corrosion performance. Further, the manufacturing process does not require chemical vapor deposition, which may allow scalable and affordable manufacturing. The proposed technology shows potential to improve energy efficiency and water conservation in power plant condensers as well as other applications. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.