MechE Colloquium: Bubble nucleation and related wettability effects: from fundamentals to durable interfaces
Event details
| Date | 10.11.2026 |
| Hour | 12:00 › 13:00 |
| Speaker | Prof. Matevž Zupančič, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana |
| Location | Online |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
| Event Language | English |
Abstract: Bubble nucleation on heated surfaces is strongly governed by the interaction between thermodynamic conditions, surface morphology and wettability. This lecture will revisit the fundamentals of heterogeneous nucleation with emphasis on the role of surface cavities, trapped vapour embryos and contact angle in determining whether nucleation can occur and at what wall superheat. Classical nucleation concepts will be used to illustrate why cavity size alone is not sufficient to describe an active nucleation site, and why the geometry of the cavity and the amount of trapped vapour must be considered together with surface wettability. The discussion will then move toward real surfaces, where advancing and receding contact angles, contact-angle hysteresis, roughness and different wetting states influence vapour entrapment, bubble growth, contact-line motion and subsequent rewetting of the surface. Selected experimental examples from functionalised boiling surfaces will be used to demonstrate how controlled combinations of surface chemistry and microstructure can be applied to tailor nucleation behaviour and overall boiling performance. The lecture will conclude with approaches toward more durable boiling interfaces that retain favourable wetting and nucleation characteristics during prolonged operation, connecting the fundamentals of bubble nucleation with the broader challenge of developing reliable high-performance surfaces for practical thermal systems
Biography: Matevž Zupančič is an Assistant Professor at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (UL FME), where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in heat transfer, heat exchangers, process engineering, thermodynamics of mixtures, and environmentally related technologies. To date, he has co-supervised more than 80 students at the bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD levels. He received his PhD from UL FME in 2017 for his research on the development of advanced surfaces with tailored wettability for enhanced pool boiling heat transfer. His research encompasses phase-change heat transfer, with particular emphasis on pool boiling, the long-term performance of heat transfer surfaces and heat exchangers, high-resolution temperature measurement techniques, surface functionalisation for phase-change applications, heat transfer under microgravity conditions, and processes related to hydrogen production.
Biography: Matevž Zupančič is an Assistant Professor at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (UL FME), where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in heat transfer, heat exchangers, process engineering, thermodynamics of mixtures, and environmentally related technologies. To date, he has co-supervised more than 80 students at the bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD levels. He received his PhD from UL FME in 2017 for his research on the development of advanced surfaces with tailored wettability for enhanced pool boiling heat transfer. His research encompasses phase-change heat transfer, with particular emphasis on pool boiling, the long-term performance of heat transfer surfaces and heat exchangers, high-resolution temperature measurement techniques, surface functionalisation for phase-change applications, heat transfer under microgravity conditions, and processes related to hydrogen production.
Practical information
- General public
- Free