High-precision thermal and electrical characterization of thermoelectric modules.

This paper describes an apparatus for performing high-precision electrical and thermal characterization of thermoelectric modules (TEMs). The apparatus is calibrated for operation between 20 °C and 80 °C and is normally used for measurements of heat currents in the range 0-10 W. Precision thermometry based on miniature thermistor probes enables an absolute temperature accuracy of better than 0.

A high-precision apparatus for the characterization of thermal interface materials.

An apparatus has been designed and constructed to characterize thermal interface materials with unprecedented precision and sensitivity. The design of the apparatus is based upon a popular implementation of ASTM D5470 where well-characterized meter bars are used to extrapolate surface temperatures and measure heat flux through the sample under test. Measurements of thermal resistance, effective thermal conductivity, and electrical resistance can be made simultaneously as functions of pressure or sample thickness.

Tunable liquid optics: electrowetting-controlled liquid mirrors based on self-assembled Janus tiles.

In this paper, we describe a tunable, high-reflectivity optofluidic device based on self-assembly of anisotropically functionalized hexagonal micromirrors (Janus tiles) on the surface of an oil droplet to create a concave liquid mirror. The liquid mirror is deposited on a patterned transparent electrode that allows the focal length and axial position to be electrically controlled. The mirror is mechanically robust and retains its integrity even at high levels of vibrational excitation of the interface.

Nanonails: a simple geometrical approach to electrically tunable superlyophobic surfaces.

In this work, dynamically tunable, superlyophobic surfaces capable of undergoing a transition from profound superlyophobic behavior to almost complete wetting have been demonstrated for the first time. In the initial state, with no voltage applied, these surfaces exhibit contact angles as high as 150 degrees for a wide variety of liquids with surface tensions ranging from 21.8 mN/m (ethanol) to 72.

Reversible wetting-dewetting transitions on electrically tunable superhydrophobic nanostructured surfaces.

In this work, electrically controlled fully reversible wetting-dewetting transitions on superhydrophobic nanostructured surfaces have been demonstrated. Droplet behavior can be reversibly switched between the superhydrophobic Cassie-Baxter state and the hydrophilic Wenzel state by the application of electrical voltage and current. The nature of the reversibility mechanism was studied both experimentally and theoretically.