Bell Labs takes the heat out of chips using coolant on nanograss surface.

The article reports on initiation of a project by Bell Labs to use its nanograss nanostructured surfaces in a liquid cooling system for chips. Although currently using multiple cores is seen as the most persuasive strategy for reducing the heat output, Bell Labs expects that eventually liquid cooling will be a requirement. A droplet of fluid resting on a nanograss surface doesn't seep down between the pillars, reducing the contact area by up to a factor of 50 compared with planar silicon. Viscous drag is thus dramatically reduced, and coolants should be able to flow much more easily through nanograss-lined channels.