Laboratory of Thermodynamics in Emerging Technologies

The Laboratory of Thermodynamics in Emerging Technologies (LTNT-Laboratorium für Thermodynamik in Neuen Technologien) at ETH Zurich was established in July 1996 when Professor Dimos Poulikakos joined ETH Zurich as Professor of Thermodynamics.

The main research and education foci of LTNT are thermal transport and related fluid dynamics in emerging technologies. Interfacial phenomena and thermodynamics are integral points of our research and teaching. The general topic of energy (both, energy conversion, as well as energy transfer) is at the center of many activities of the laboratory. Examples of technologies and related phenomena of interest are: Micro- and nanoscale energy conversion and transport, fuel cell technologies, microelectronics, high-density electronics (advanced manufacturing as well as high performance liquid cooling), surface deposition processes for micro- and nanostructuring, and nanoelectromecanical systems (NEMS). Environmental and conservation aspects of energy technologies, exemplified by energy reuse and optimization in energy intensive buildings such as (green) data centers fall well within the research activities of the laboratory. The second significant research and education component of LTNT is biomedical thermofluidics, with emphasis on the human body. The dual goal of these activities is understanding and modeling the basic phenomena involved, as well as developing biomedical technologies and devices.

State of the art experimental facilities, exemplified by rapid imaging techniques, advanced laser diagnostics, atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning near field optical microscopy (SNOM), microscale Particle Image Velocimetry (micro-PIV) as well as state of the art computer facilities are available at LTNT for the realization of our research efforts. Our research activities also benefit directly from the excellent infrastructure at ETH Zurich. To this end, LTNT has direct access through membership to the major interdisciplinary research platforms of ETH Zurich for nanotechnology (FIRST), as well as electron microscopy (EMEZ). We view our research as an idea-driven multi-faceted enterprise that focuses on basic scientific phenomena with direct technological relevance. Details of our current research projects can be found in the research section of this website.