Copper fiber wick with scaly fins fabricated by multi-tooth cutting for directional heat transfer

Wicks with directional liquid transport properties are the decisive factor in fabricating high-performance directional heat transfer devices. Aiming at the lack of wicks that can maintain directional liquid transport performance after high-temperature processes, sintered copper fiber wicks (SCFWs) with scaly fins were prepared. The copper fibers with scaly fins were fabricated by multi-tooth cutting and the additional driving force of scaly fins on ethanol was used to achieve directional capillary flow. The effects of scaly fin direction, sintering parameters, and porosity on the capillary performance of SCFWs were studied. The results show that the direction of scaly fins can adjust the liquid flow direction. The capillary performance parameter of SCFW3, with the same fin direction as the flow direction of ethanol, is 65.5% higher than that of SCFW1 with the opposite fin direction. Sintering temperature and holding time affect the formation of sintered necks and micropores, which affects the capillary performances of SCFWs. The effects of sintered necks on the capillary performances of SCFWs are more obvious than micropores on copper fibers. In addition, the relatively low porosity in the range of 70–80% helps improve the capillary performance of SCFWs. The SCFWs provide a feasible method for the fabrication of phase change heat transfer devices with directional heat transfer performances. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd