Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Nenad Miljkovic

Evelyn N Wang

Ryan Enright

Gang Paul Chen

Lee A Weinstein

Hadi Ghasemi

Sungwoo Yang

Rong Xiao

Svetlana Boriskina

Daniel John Preston

Andrej Lenert

David M Bierman

Kenneth McEnaney

Selcuk Yerci

Young Suk Nam

Condensation can be an important process in both emerging and traditional power generation and water desalination technologies. Superhydrophobic nanostructures can promise enhanced condensation heat transfer by reducing the characteristic size of departing droplets via a surface-tension-driven mechanism. A superhydrophobic surface can include nanostructures of a metal oxide having further surface modification.

Superhydrophobic nanostructures

A uniform external field can enhance condensation on a superhydrophobic surface. Jumping droplets on superhydrophobic surfaces accumulate a positive charge which promises the manipulation and control of jumping behavior using external electric fields.

Condensation on surfaces

A single-stack, solar power receiver comprising both a thermal absorber layer and a photovoltaic cell layer. The stack includes an aerogel layer, that is optically transparent and thermally insulating ('OTTI'); a spectrally selective high thermal conductivity ('SSTC') thermal absorber layer; a bottom OTTI layer; and a PV cell layer. The SSTC layer includes a set of fins that substantially blocks solar radiation absorption in the band where PV cells are most sensitive. Photons with energies above or below this band block range are absorbed by the fins and the absorbed heat is conducted to pipes in the fin structure carrying a heated thermal working fluid to heat storage. Photons with energy in the band block range are reflected by the SSTC fins to the PV cell layer. The bottom OTTI aerogel layer keeps the PV cell operating near ambient temperature. The PV cell converts incident solar radiation to electrical energy.

Internally-heated thermal and externally-cool photovoltaic cascade solar energy system for full solar spectrum utilization

Condensation can be an important process in both emerging and traditional power generation and water desalination technologies. Superhydrophobic nanostructures can promise enhanced condensation heat transfer by reducing the characteristic size of departing droplets via a surface-tension-driven mechanism. A superhydrophobic surface can include a heterogeneous surface.

Heterogeneous surfaces

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Cambridge, MA, United States of America

Nenad Miljkovic