Mechanical seals enhanced with microstructures

A seal comprising at least at two surfaces that seal to one another, a first surface and a second surface, wherein said first surface:

• (a) comprises a plurality of microstructures covering between about 10% and about 70% of the area of said first surface, wherein each of said microstructures comprises a distal end and a proximal end;
• (b) the proximal end of each of said microstructures is connected to said first surface;
• (c) the distal end of each of said microstructures is not connected to a shield, wall, or other object that inhibits heat transfer;
• (d) the distance between the proximal and distal ends of each of said microstructures is between about 0.05 mm and about 1.0 mm, and the aspect ratio of each of said microstructures is between about 0.5 and about 75;
• wherein the aspect ratio of a microstructure is the ratio of the distance between the proximal end and the distal end to the characteristic dimension of the microstructure;
• wherein the characteristic dimension of the microstructure is the diameter of the microstructure in a plane perpendicular to a line between the proximal end and the distal end of the microstructure;
• and
• (e) wherein, if a lubricant is applied to said first surface, then in the presence of a load between said first and second surfaces, said microstructures and the spaces between adjacent microstructures are adapted to cause the lubricant to flow to substantially all portions of said first surface subject to the load;
• whereby heat transfer at the interface of said first and second surfaces is substantially greater than would be the heat transfer between otherwise identical surfaces lacking said microstructures;
• and
• whereby, if a lubricant is applied to said first surface, the friction between said first and second surfaces is substantially less than would be the friction between otherwise identical surfaces lacking said microstructures.