MSE Talks: Xianming (Simon) Dai

Speaker: Dr. Xianming (Simon) Dai, UT Dallas

Title: Advancing Energy Sustainability in Thermal Packaging and Decarbonization Systems

Abstract: Energy sustainability is critical for both electronic and energy systems. By 2030, computing alone could consume up to 20% of the world’s energy production, and the greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by 50% in the US. As a result, improving energy efficiency in electronic packaging and decarbonization systems is significant for energy sustainability. Interfacial materials play a pivotal role in facilitating both electronics cooling and industrial heating. These processes involve two primary heat transfer modes: evaporation and condensation, each harnessing latent heat during phase change to enable efficient energy transport. However, the demands for interfacial materials differ between these two heat transfer mechanisms. While a super-wetted surface is advantageous for evaporation, a super-repellent surface is favorable for condensation. In this presentation, I will introduce several nature-inspired surfaces with exceptional evaporation and condensation capabilities to passively improve energy efficiencies. Moreover, to advance energy efficiency in electronics cooling, adaptive evaporative cooling will be employed to achieve on-demand thermal management. To advance energy efficiency in decarbonization systems, electricity-powered heat pump systems will be used to replace fossil fuel-powered boilers. Through the synergistic integration of co-designed passive and active approaches, our goal is to achieve unparalleled energy efficiency in electronic and decarbonization systems.

Bio: Xianming (Simon) Dai is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Dallas. He is the recipient of a DARPA Young Faculty Award in 2023, a National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2021, and an Army Research Office Young Investigator Award in 2019. Dr. Dai’s research addresses critical energy, water, and health challenges in society, with particular interests in thermal packaging, decarbonization, and water sustainability. His group’s notable papers have been published in high-impact journals, including PNAS, Science Advances, Joule, ACS Nano, Advanced Functional Materials, etc. Due to his significant contributions, Dr. Dai received the Outstanding Early Career Award at the 1st micro Flow and Interfacial Phenomena Conference, and the UT Dallas School of Engineering Outstanding Assistant Professor of Research in 2022.