Advancing Energy Sustainability and Decarbonization through Functional Surface and Device Innovation
Dr. Muhammad Jahidul Hoque
Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Faculty host: Jaime Juarez
Seminar on December 5th, 2024 at 11:00 AM in 2004 Black Engr.
Abstract
Recent advancements in fabrication technologies are transforming phase-change heat transfer, high-heat-flux cooling, desalination, and power generation. Steam-cycle power plants generate 70% of global electricity. Utilizing water-repellent hydrophobic condenser surfaces within the steam cycle could improve overall efficiency by 2%, reducing CO₂ emissions by 460 million tons and saving 2 trillion gallons of water annually. However, challenges to implementing these surfaces in power cycle condensers, or any application, include limited scalable fabrication techniques and poor durability. In this talk, I will discuss several of our recent innovations related to scalable fabrication methods for functional surfaces, as well as fundamental investigations of degradation mechanisms of hydrophobic films. Using this knowledge, design of a durable fluorinated diamond-like carbon (F-DLC) coating was achieved for potential use in power plants and other energy applications. F-DLC combines polymer-like low surface energy with metal-like exceptional mechanical properties, enhancing the durability of dropwise condensation. Experimental results demonstrate that F-DLC’s high bending stiffness and coating adhesion make it durable for 5,000 cycles of mechanical abrasion and enable more than 3 years of continuous, stable dropwise condensation, with exceptional thermal robustness (>300°C). In the second part of my talk, I will integrate the lessons learned from multiple fundamental studies of functional surfaces to create interfacial approaches which can mitigate ice, snow, and frost accretion on electrified systems. These include electric aircraft, electric vehicles, and building energy systems. Through use of a pulsed deicing approach which combines interfacial heating and controlled surface wettability, I demonstrate a significant reduction in removal time and energy consumption for de-icing and de-frosting. I end my talk by discussing recent developments and potential opportunities for engineered surfaces and thermal solutions in building energy applications and electronics cooling, with focus on future research directions and numerous potential applications of these surface and device technologies across various energy sectors.
Dr. Muhammad Jahidul (Jahid) Hoque is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Urbana, IL. He earned his doctoral degree in Mechanical Science and Engineering from UIUC in 2022. He earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), in 2013 and 2016, respectively, where he also served as a faculty member in the same Department from 2013 to 2016. His core areas of competence intersect the fields of Thermo-fluid Science, Interfacial Phenomena, Advanced Manufacturing of Materials and Devices, and Thermal Management. He was the recipient of the 2023 R&D 100 Awards for work related to an innovative 250 kW silicon carbide wide band gap power converter developed in collaboration with Caterpillar. During his postdoctoral tenure at UIUC, he is responsible for leadership of a 3.5M dollar grant from Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) focused on the development of pulsed electro-thermal deicing technologies in collaboration with Ampaire Inc.
This seminar counts towards the ME 6000 seminar requirement for Mechanical Engineering graduate students.