Can Wicking Control Droplet Cooling?

Wicking, defined as absorption and passive spreading of liquid into a porous medium, has been identified as a key mechanism to enhance the heat transfer and prevent the thermal crisis. Reducing the evaporation time and increasing the Leidenfrost point (LFP) are important for an efficient and safe design of thermal management applications, such as electronics, nuclear, and aeronautics industry. Here, we report the effect of the wicking of superhydrophilic nanowires (NWs) on the droplet vaporization from low temperatures to temperatures above the Leidenfrost transition.