Numerical Investigation of Bionic Structures in Microchannel Heat Sinks for Thermal Performance Enhancement

With the continuous increase in chip computing power, the associated heat generation also rose significantly. As a result, effective thermal management of chips became a critical requirement. Inspired by bionics, we designed a bioinspired microchannel heat sink by incorporating placoid scale structures on the bottom surface of the flow channel to enhance the cooling performance of the microchannel system. Through numerical simulations, we investigated the effects of key structural parameters on thermal performance. The results showed that both the arrangement and the inclination angle of the placoid structures significantly influenced heat transfer efficiency by reshaping the thermal boundary layer. Specifically, the longitudinal distribution and lateral spacing of the structures affected the convective interaction between the fluid and the biomimetic surfaces, while the inclination angle altered the local flow velocity, thereby impacting the cooling effectiveness. These findings demonstrate that bionic surface structures can effectively improve the thermal performance of microchannel heat sinks, offering a promising strategy for high-performance chip cooling.