2026-10-12T15:46:31Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/33964002 2026-09-22T10:16:28Z category_1 category_4 category_146 category_915 category_21 category_272 category_873 category_39 category_502 category_734 category_69 portal_63 item_type_2 month_year_09_2026

Membrane-Enabled Passive Evaporation-Diffusion Cooling for Mitigating the Water-Energy Trade-Off in Recirculating Cooling Systems Xiaowang Zhang (4281739) Yuping Chen (484476) Qiwen Gan (25089279) Yuhao Liu (1683088) Yingbin Jia (17594715) Siwei Xiong (17886658) Luoxin Wang (552119) Hua Wang (13530) Biophysics Biochemistry Space Science Physical Sciences not elsewhere classified Biotechnology Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified Ecology Astronomical and Space Sciences not elsewhere classified Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified Inorganic Chemistry nanoporous fibrous architecture integrating polytetrafluoroethylene nanofibrous integrated system reduced industrial thermal management 651 ° c 588 ° c 5 ° c enabling vapor escape efficient vapor permeability thereby accelerating evaporation reducing water consumption conventional rcs cooled continuous water circulation average cooling rate enabled passive evaporation cooling rate water vapor cooling unit cooling test work demonstrates water retention water purity transfer barriers suppressing liquid selective mass porous membranes materials platform maintaining circulating interconnected micro hot water copper disk antiwetting stability Recirculating cooling water systems (RCSs) are essential for industrial thermal management, yet their reliance on continuous water circulation and evaporation-induced makeup water imposes substantial water and energy burdens. Here, we report a passive interfacial cooling strategy by integrating polytetrafluoroethylene nanofibrous, porous membranes (PTFE NPMs) into the cooling unit of an RCS. Owing to the intrinsically low surface energy of PTFE and the interconnected micro/nanoporous fibrous architecture, the membranes exhibit robust superhydrophobicity, antiwetting stability, and efficient vapor permeability. This hierarchical interface promotes rapid outward diffusion of water vapor from hot water while suppressing liquid-water retention and penetration, thereby accelerating evaporation-diffusion-mediated heat dissipation without external energy input. Meanwhile, the tortuous hydrophobic nanochannels function as selective mass-transfer barriers, enabling vapor escape while preventing the intrusion of droplets, particulates, and contaminants, which is beneficial for maintaining circulating-water purity and reducing water consumption. In a 300 s cooling test, a conventional RCS cooled a copper disk to 47.5 °C with an average cooling rate of 0.588 °C s^–1, whereas the PTFE-NPM-integrated system reduced the temperature to 44.5 °C and increased the cooling rate to 0.651 °C s^–1. This work demonstrates a membrane-enabled, energy-free cooling enhancement strategy for sustainable RCSs and provides a materials platform for water-saving industrial thermal management. 2026-09-22T00:00:00Z Dataset Media 10.1021/acsapm.6c02382.s001 https://figshare.com/articles/media/Membrane-Enabled_Passive_Evaporation-Diffusion_Cooling_for_Mitigating_the_Water-Energy_Trade-Off_in_Recirculating_Cooling_Systems/33964002 CC BY-NC 4.0