ACADEMICS at Oregon State University are said to have discovered a way of dramatically increasing heat transfer efficiency using nanotechnology.
The new coatings based on nanotechnology can remove heat four times faster than the same materials before they are coated, using inexpensive materials and application procedures say researchers.

Heat transfer surfaces are coated with a nanostructured application of zinc oxide. Researchers claim the coatings produced a 'heat transfer coefficient' 10 times higher than uncoated surfaces.

The findings of researchers from the university working in conjunction with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, have been announced in the International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer and a patent application has been filed.

'This technology provides a technical pathway to surfaces that can sustain high-heat flux with low-cost manufacturing techniques in advanced cooling applications' said Chih-hung Chang, an associate professor in the School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering at Oregon State University.

Further studies are being undertaken to develop broader commercial applications. The research has been supported by the Army Research Laboratory.