Motivation

Inspired by the recurring challenge of performance degradation in heat exchangers due to frost, our team sought a durable and scalable anti-frosting solution. We drew initial inspiration from a 2020 PNAS paper by Professor Kyoo-Chul (Kenneth) Park's group, which demonstrated how macro-scale surface textures on leaves naturally create "frost-free zones" in their valleys. This bio-inspired principle of using geometry to control condensation and evaporation offered a compelling alternative to existing micro/nanostructured surfaces that often suffer from low durability. Our project aimed to translate this natural phenomenon into an engineered solution: a heat exchanger with macro-scale surface patterns that mimic plant veins to passively suppress frost growth, enhance thermal efficiency, and offer a robust, scalable design for widespread application.