Comparison of the generation characteristics and application performance of nanomaterials-enhanced ionic wind

Abstract

Ionic wind technology is a right candidate for the thermal management of electronic devices. However, some highly-oxidizing substances are produced during corona discharge, which can destroy the electrode and shorten its service life. In the present work, nanomaterials were coated on the surfaces of needles, which act as emitting electrodes. The generation characteristics of ionic wind and the working durability of an ionic wind generator (IWG) were compared experimentally. The generator modified by nanomaterials was subsequently used to cool high-power LED chips, and the changes in the optical properties of the chips were studied. The results indicate that the electric field intensity and corona current increased after the application of the nanomaterials. The nanomaterials-decorated IWG performed better in operating durability than the original prototype. When the nanomaterials-decorated IWG was applied to cool LEDs, the case temperature at a discharge power of 3 W was reduced by 5.8 °C compared with the original generator. The luminous flux output increased by 28 lm and took less time to reach a stable working state. The ionic wind velocity and the energy conversion efficiency of the system were also greatly improved. This study provides a potential solution for the efficient thermal management of electronic devices.