Nanotechnology studied in heat transfer
Published: May 1, 2008 at 1:21 PM
ANN ARBOR, Mich., May 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force has awarded a $7 million grant to a University of Michigan-led team to apply nanotechnology to problems involved in heat transfer.
"The processes by which heat is transferred at interfaces between different materials are poorly understood," said Assistant Professor Kevin Pipe, who is leading the study for the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. "But in many systems, the ability to either efficiently transfer or block heat flow from one material to another is critically important to performance and reliability."
The research group includes nine scientists and engineers from the University of Michigan, Brown University and the University of California-Santa Cruz.
Pipe said his group will use ultrafast lasers in a special X-ray technique developed by University of Michigan Associate Professor David Reis that allows researchers to watch the vibrations of the atoms that carry heat energy across an interface.
Using nanotechnology, Pipe and his colleagues will re-engineer the surfaces of materials to regulate the flow of heat.
In addition to Pipe, the team includes Professors Rachel Goldman, Roberto Merlin, Humphrey Maris, Arto Nurmikko and John Kieffer; Assistant Professor Max Shtein; and Associate Professors David Reis and Ali Shakouri.
"The processes by which heat is transferred at interfaces between different materials are poorly understood," said Assistant Professor Kevin Pipe, who is leading the study for the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. "But in many systems, the ability to either efficiently transfer or block heat flow from one material to another is critically important to performance and reliability."
The research group includes nine scientists and engineers from the University of Michigan, Brown University and the University of California-Santa Cruz.
Pipe said his group will use ultrafast lasers in a special X-ray technique developed by University of Michigan Associate Professor David Reis that allows researchers to watch the vibrations of the atoms that carry heat energy across an interface.
Using nanotechnology, Pipe and his colleagues will re-engineer the surfaces of materials to regulate the flow of heat.
In addition to Pipe, the team includes Professors Rachel Goldman, Roberto Merlin, Humphrey Maris, Arto Nurmikko and John Kieffer; Assistant Professor Max Shtein; and Associate Professors David Reis and Ali Shakouri.
© 2008 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
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