Abstract: A heat exchange structure is provided, including a primary face provided with non-through holes formed in said face, the inner surface of the holes and the surface of said primary face outside the holes being covered with nanoparticles, the inside of the holes having a non-wettability property relative to a given liquid and the surface of the face between the holes having a wettability property relative to the liquid.

Abstract: A thermogenerator including at least one thermoelement and two phase-change materials having different phase-change temperatures, the at least one thermoelement having two opposite main faces, and each of the faces is covered by one of the phase-change materials, such that the thermoelement is subject only to a temperature gradient imposed by the two phase-change materials, during a phase of heating or cooling.

Abstract: A heat absorbing device including a structure including plural individual cells delimited by an envelope made of a material that has good thermal conductivity and includes at least one phase-change material, the cells being stacked on top of one another from an end surface so that the structure extends in a direction of thermal flux, the flux being made up of two notable periodic thermal events, the structure including two different sizes of cells. The sizes of the cells are determined as a function of frequency of the thermal events of the thermal flux and a distribution of a number of cells of each size is determined as a function of amplitudes of each event.

Abstract: A device forming a manometer, configured to measure pressure of a biphasic fluid in a fluidic network, including: a first channel inside which a biphasic fluid is able to flow; a second channel emerging into the first channel, wherein the second channel is blind, with each of its dimensions less than capillary length of the fluid's liquid phase, and with at least one of its lengthways wall having a surface energy gradient that decreases from its inlet to the end. The surface energy gradient enables the wetting angle of the meniscus of the fluid's liquid phase to be increased in the blind channel from its inlet to the end. Such a device may find application to measurement of pressure of a biphasic fluid in a heat exchanger or in a fuel cell.

Abstract: Material with hybrid particles (1) each consisting of a particle (2) of a phase-change material (PCM) interfaced with a catalytic material (3) in solid form, the size of the hybrid particles being between 0.1 mm and 10 mm, preferably between 1 mm and 5 mm.

Abstract: This method for texturing a DLC coating comprises depositing a single layer of balls or spheres on the free surface of the DLC coating; dry-etching the DLC coating using oxygen plasma; and lastly, cleaning the surface of said coating by eliminating the balls or spheres.

Abstract: A thermal management device including a first face configured to be in contact with a hot source and a second face opposite the first face configured to be in contact with a cold source, and at least one network of cells filled with a solid/liquid phase-change material located in a cavity between the first and second faces, wherein the cells include walls formed of carbon nanotubes, wherein the nanotubes extend roughly from the first to the second face, thermally connecting the first face to the second face.

Abstract: A thermal management system configured to be installed between a heat source and a heat sink, including a first heat conductor and a second heat conductor, a thermal switch configured to allow or prevent thermal connection between the first and second heat conductors, the thermal switch including at least one thermally conductive material that can connect the first and second conductors by a change in its volume, and the thermal switch including a controller configured to transfer thermal energy to the phase-change material to change a connection state. The connection is made when the heat source goes above a critical temperature, since the connection enables a heat flux to be established between the heat source and the heat sink.

Abstract: The invention relates to the use of a super-slippery thin-layer film or coating for enhancing the lubrication capacity of a part to be subjected to great friction and wear. The film of the invention for improving the lubrication capacity of parts to be subjected to important friction and wear includes at least: a layer (3) of a hard material selected from titanium nitride (TiN), chromium nitride (CrN), titanium carbide (TiC), chromium carbide (CrC), tungsten carbide (W2C) and tungsten carbide-carbon composites (WC/C), alumina (AI2O3), molybdenum sulphide (MoS2), and materials of the hydrogenated amorphous carbon type (a: CH), the layer including on one surface thereof a series of dips and protrusions; and a layer (4) of an oleophilic material. The invention can particularly be used in the field of mechanics.

Abstract: A heat absorbing device including a structure including plural individual cells delimited by an envelope made of a material that has good thermal conductivity and includes at least one phase-change material, the cells being stacked on top of one another from an end surface so that the structure extends in a direction of thermal flux, the flux being made up of two notable periodic thermal events, the structure including two different sizes of cells. The sizes of the cells are determined as a function of frequency of the thermal events of the thermal flux and a distribution of a number of cells of each size is determined as a function of amplitudes of each event.

Abstract: A thermogenerator including at least one thermoelement and two phase-change materials having different phase-change temperatures, the at least one thermoelement having two opposite main faces, and each of the faces is covered by one of the phase-change materials, such that the thermoelement is subject only to a temperature gradient imposed by the two phase-change materials, during a phase of heating or cooling.

Abstract: A device forming a manometer, configured to measure pressure of a biphasic fluid in a fluidic network, including: a first channel inside which a biphasic fluid is able to flow; a second channel emerging into the first channel, wherein the second channel is blind, with each of its dimensions less than capillary length of the fluid's liquid phase, and with at least one of its lengthways wall having a surface energy gradient that decreases from its inlet to the end. The surface energy gradient enables the wetting angle of the meniscus of the fluid's liquid phase to be increased in the blind channel from its inlet to the end. Such a device may find application to measurement of pressure of a biphasic fluid in a heat exchanger or in a fuel cell.

Abstract: A heat exchange device with convective and confined boiling includes a channel in a substrate in contact with an element to be cooled, in which a polar fluid flows from upstream to downstream, a mechanism of movement of the fluid by convection in the channel imposing a direction of flow, and a device for movement by electro-wetting positioned between the channel and the element to be cooled to move the fluid in the channel. The channel includes an inner surface having low wettability with regard to the polar fluid. The mechanism of movement by electro-wetting includes electrodes and a controller to apply selectively a potential to the electrodes such that an electrostatic force gradient is applied to the fluid in the direction of flow.

Abstract: This method for texturing a DLC coating comprises depositing a single layer of balls or spheres on the free surface of the DLC coating; dry-etching the DLC coating using oxygen plasma; and lastly, cleaning the surface of said coating by eliminating the balls or spheres.

Abstract: A method for heat exchange by boiling a polar liquid on a surface including at least one low-wetting zone, including: a) generating appearance of nuclei of vapor bubbles on the low-wetting zone, and causing the nuclei to grow; and b) making the surface wetting by at least one electro-wetting system, to favor detachment of the gas bubbles formed in this manner.

Abstract: A mould for objects made of polymer material is produced by successively depositing a barrier thin layer and a thin layer of diamond-like carbon on at least a part of a metal support. The thin layer of diamond-like carbon is then nanopatterned with a predetermined pattern presenting a form factor of more than 1. Nanopatterning is performed by selective chemical etching in dry phase through a hard mask and etching stops at an interface between the thin layer of diamond-like carbon and the barrier thin layer. The hard mask used was formed beforehand on a free surface of the thin layer of diamond-like carbon by selective chemical etching in dry phase performed through a void lattice delineated by nanoparticles deposited beforehand on a free surface of said hard mask. The barrier thin layer and the nanopatterned thin layer of diamond-like carbon form a bilayer coating presenting a thickness comprised between about 100 nm and about 10 ?m.

Abstract: A heat exchange device including a first surface configured to be in contact with a source of heat to be discharged and a second surface configured to be in contact with a coolant. The device includes a plurality of recesses fluidically insulated from one another, each recess leading onto the second surface via at least one channel, each channel having a length and a transverse size that prevents the coolant from entering the recess. The second surface has better wettability properties with respect to the coolant and the inner surfaces of the channels and the recesses have wettability properties less than or equal to those of the second surface.

Abstract: A heat exchange structure including a primary face including non-through holes formed in the face. The inner surface of the holes and the surface of the primary face outside the holes are covered with nanoparticles. The inside of the holes have a non-wettability property relative to a given liquid and the surface of the face between the holes have a wettability property relative to the liquid.

Abstract: The invention relates to the use of a super-slippery thin-layer film or coating for enhancing the lubrication capacity of a part to be subjected to great friction and wear. The film of the invention for improving the lubrication capacity of parts to be subjected to important friction and wear includes at least: a layer (3) of a hard material selected from titanium nitride (TiN), chromium nitride (CrN), titanium carbide (TiC), chromium carbide (CrC), tungsten carbide (W2C) and tungsten carbide-carbon composites (WC/C), alumina (AI2O3), molybdenum sulphide (MoS2), and materials of the hydrogenated amorphous carbon type (a:CH), the layer including on one surface thereof a series of dips and protrusions; and a layer (4) of an oleophilic material. The invention can particularly be used in the field of mechanics.

Abstract: A mould for objects made of polymer material is produced by successively depositing a barrier thin layer and a thin layer of diamond-like carbon on at least a part of a metal support. The thin layer of diamond-like carbon is then nanopatterned with a predetermined pattern presenting a form factor of more than 1. Nanopatterning is performed by selective chemical etching in dry phase through a hard mask and etching stops at an interface between the thin layer of diamond-like carbon and the barrier thin layer. The hard mask used was formed beforehand on a free surface of the thin layer of diamond-like carbon by selective chemical etching in dry phase performed through a void lattice delineated by nanoparticles deposited beforehand on a free surface of said hard mask. The barrier thin layer and the nanopatterned thin layer of diamond-like carbon form a bilayer coating presenting a thickness comprised between about 100 nm and about 10 ?m.