Thermal Conductivity of Interfacial Layers in Nanofluids
Abstract
Thermal conductivity of interfacial layers is an essential parameter for determining how the ordered liquid layering around the particle-liquid interface contributes to the unusual high thermal conductivity of nanofluids. However, so far there is no experimental data regarding this parameter. Using nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations of an inhomogeneous Au-Ar system in which the solid-liquid interactions are assumed to be much stronger than the liquid-liquid interactions, we show explicitly that the thermal conductivity of a 1-nm-thick interfacial layer is 1.6~2.5 times higher than that of the base fluid. The simulation results are incorporated into a three-level clustering model to calculate the effective thermal conductivity of nanofluids. The results show that the contribution of the interfacial layer to thermal conductivity enhancements should be considered if there are particle clusters in nanofluids. © 2011 American Physical Society.
Recommended Citation
Z. Liang and H. Tsai, "Thermal Conductivity of Interfacial Layers in Nanofluids," Physical Review E - Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics, American Physical Society (APS), Jan 2011.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.83.041602
Department(s)
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2011 American Physical Society (APS), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jan 2011
