Effect of electric field on interfacial thermal resistance between silicon and water at nanoscales

Abstract

In this study, heat transfer rate of a nano-confined liquid is controlled by applying an electric field parallel to the heat transfer direction. Molecular Dynamics simulations are performed for deionized water confined between silicon slabs, where their surfaces oppositely charged to create an electric field perpendicular to the silicon wall to promote the electrowetting. Electric field strengths used in this study are 0, 0.18 and 0.35 V/nm. To investigate the effect of electric field on heat transfer, first water density profiles near the silicon walls are examined. Results shows that by applying electric field, water molecules near the silicon walls develop layering, which indicates the increased solid/liquid coupling. With the increasing electric field strength, an increase in the peak of the density layering is observed. Furthermore, heat transfer at the solid/liquid interface is characterized with the Kapitza length values. The results show that applying electric field reduces the interfacial thermal resistance between water and silicon due to the increased solid/liquid coupling and doubles the total heat flux. © 2019, Avestia Publishing.