Thermal Conductivity of TiO2 Nanoparticles Based Aqueous Nanofluids with an Addition of a Modified Silver Particle

Abstract

Nanofluid is a colloidal suspension which has received great attention over the past two decades, but its limited heat transfer enhancement is a matter of concern for industrial applications. We demonstrate an improvement in the thermal conductivity of TiO2 nanofluids with an addition of negligible amounts of modified silver "Ag" nanoparticles. In this work, the surface/shape of newly synthesized "Ag" nanoparticles is modified by planetary ball milling. Then, to enhance the thermal conductivity of TiO2 nanofluids, the flattened "Ag" particles are incorporated with the combination of small (15 nm) and large (300 nm) TiO2 nanoparticles in an aqueous solution. The thermal conductivities of Ag/TiO2 water nanofluids with various weight concentrations are measured at temperatures ranging from 15 to 40 degrees C. As a result, the present study confirms that the thermal conductivity of TiO2 based solution can be improved by introducing the flattened "Ag" particles.