Most computers are cooled by the use of air-cooling, which means using fans and a heat sink to dissipate heat produced by CPU and GPU processing power. While there are other cooling systems on the market, such as water-cooling, a new breakthrough technology has the potential to change the way we cool our computers.
Duke University researchers have developed a new type of vaporizing liquid system that carries heat away from a source similarly to a heat pipe. Instead of a pipe, however, it uses a sponge-like material with a hydrophobic bottom layer that resists water particles, similarly to the wings of some insects like cicadas.
Because the bottom layer is so hydrophobic, the warmed water particles are pushed away from the surface as they warm up and as the water particles condense, and this effectively moves heat away from the source.
Importantly, this cooling system could work in any orientation, as gravity doesn't impact its function. With that in mind, the only thing holding the technology back from being used is finding the right build materials that will last long enough as they're subjected to extreme heat nearly all day, every day.
Not only could this technology make its way to your personal computers in the future, but it could mean extreme advances in space technology and others as well.
