The results of the development of new educational programs in the field of nanotechnology and nanomaterials in the energy sector, which have been developed and are actively used by the National Research University “MPEI”, are presented. Modern nanomaterials and nanotechnological processes in traditional and alternative (“green”) energy require new approaches, including statistical methods for the analysis and synthesis of experimental data and design options. For this reason, without the active use of machine learning methods, it is impossible to train qualified specialists in the field of promising energy problems and their solutions. Through teaching, research, and innovation, «MPEI» exceptional community pursues its mission of service to the nation and the world.

We investigate the possibility of overcoming the Leidenfrost point to achieve the stable boiling of a pool (not a film) at temperatures much higher than the Leidenfrost temperature for water on smooth surfaces. We have studied the Leidenfrost effect (droplets on a surface overheated above the film boiling temperature). Surfaces made of hybrid graphene nanocomposites are used as substrates. We investigated two types of nanocomposites based on graphene flakes (the size of the latter being about 3-5 nm in thickness, longitudinal dimensions of about 10-20 µm), sintered at a pressure of 200-300 bar, and hybrid nanocomposites consisting of graphene flakes, metal microspheres (a diameter of about 100-200 microns) and a small amount of polymer (epoxy resin).

In recent years, a great scientific and practical interest is caused by functional energy surfaces, modified for certain technological problems. The urgency of the work is to develop promising technologies for thermal and nuclear power engineering, methods for converting solar energy, cooling low-current and high-current electronics devices, energy storage and transport systems on the basis of studying and developing new ways of creating and modifying the functional surfaces of heat exchange and other devices. Modified functional surfaces must have a number of new mechanical and thermophysical properties, including mechanical strength, a new surface morphology for controlling the processes of wetting and spreading working fluids on them, and have high efficiency from the viewpoint of thermohydrodynamic processes of flow and heat and mass transfer of working fluids to them. Among the various ways of modifying surfaces, recently, the method of surface exposure to femtosecond laser pulses (FLI) has become widespread. The technology of femtosecond laser surface treatment (FLPO) of solid materials has shown high efficiency, reliability, high productivity and a huge variety of modification methods. The paper presents new results on the study of thermophysical phenomena -the wetting and spreading of drops of various liquids, the study of the hysteresis of the contact angle, the study of evaporation and boiling processes on functional energy surfaces modified by femtosecond laser pulses. It is shown that in the majority of cases the presence of regular or stochastic nanostructures on the surface leads to a very strong change in the basic properties of the surface, which makes it possible to use such a technology to quickly and efficiently modify and obtain functional energy surfaces for certain predetermined purposes.