The effects of temperature, volume fraction and vibration time on the thermo-physical properties of a carbon nanotube suspension (carbon nanofluid)

In this investigation, nanofluids of carbon nanotubes are prepared and the thermal conductivity and volumetric heat capacity of these fluids are measured using a thin layer technique as a function of time of ultrasonication, temperature, and volume fraction. It has been observed that after using the ultrasonic disrupter, the size of agglomerated particles and number of primary particles in a particle cluster was significantly decreased and that the thermal conductivity increased with elapsed ultrasonication time. The clustering of carbon nanotubes was also confirmed microscopically. The strong dependence of the effective thermal conductivity on temperature and volume fraction of nanofluids was attributed to Brownian motion and the interparticle potential, which influences the particle motion. The effect of temperature will become much more evident with an increase in the volume fraction and the agglomeration of the nanoparticles, as observed experimentally. The data obtained from this work have been compared with those of other studies and also with mathematical models at present proven for suspensions. Using a 2.5% volumetric concentration of carbon nanotubes resulted in a 20% increase in the thermal conductivity of the base fluid (ethylene glycol).The volumetric heat capacity also showed a pronounced increase with respect to that of the pure base fluid.     

Preparation and characterization of hydroxyl (–OH) functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)–Dowtherm A nanofluids

In the present work, the thermal conductivity and viscosity of hydroxyl (–OH) functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)–Dowtherm A (eutectic mixture of biphenyl (C₁₂H₁₀) and diphenyl oxide (C₁₂H₁₀O)) nanofluids are discussed. As-received hydroxyl (–OH) functionalized MWCNTs are characterized using x-ray diffraction (XRD), FT-Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and thermogravimetry, differential thermogravimetry, and differential scanning calorimetry (TGA-DTG/DSC) analysis. Hydroxyl (–OH) functionalized MWCNT–Dowtherm A nanofluids are prepared in different concentrations (0.001–0.005?g) of MWCNT and characterized at various temperatures (303–323?K). The thermal conductivity of hydroxyl (–OH) functionalized MWCNT–Dowtherm A nanofluids increases with the concentration of carbon nanotubes as well as with temperature. The possible mechanism for the enhancement observed may be ascribed to the percolation of heat through the nanotubes to form a tri-dimensional network. Also, as the temperature increases, the viscosity of the nanofluid decreases, which results in an increase in Brownian motion of nanoparticles, this sets convection-like effects resulting in enhanced thermal conductivity.     

Experimental investigation on thermophysical properties of solar glycol dispersed with multi-walled carbon nanotubes

This article deals with well-dispersed solar glycol-based nanofluids containing multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanoparticles with different particle volume concentrations of 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, and 0.4% prepared by typical two-step method. Thermal conductivity, viscosity and specific heat capacity of solar glycol (SG)-based MWCNT nanofluids, in the temperature range of 30°C–70°C were measured. The values of density showed a noticeable deviation from the predictions of Pak and Cho correlation. Hence, correlations are developed for thermal conductivity and viscosity from the experimental results obtained from the various range parameters of interest. The presence of MWCNT enhanced the thermal conductivity of the nanofluids by 17.26% at 0.4 vol.% particle concentration at 70°C. The relative viscosity of MWCNT nanofluids depends on the nanoparticles percentage concentration and decreases significantly with increase in temperature for higher concentrations. The presence of MWCNT enhances the specific heat of the nanofluids significantly, and this enrichment decreases with the increase of the MWCNT concentration. MWCNT/SG represents a new and innovative class of heat-transfer fluid, which possesses excellent thermophysical properties. The MWCNT/SG-based nanofluids could be suitable working fluids for solar thermal and automobile applications.     

An experimental study on stability and some thermophysical properties of multiwalled carbon nanotubes with water–ethylene glycol mixtures

In this study, the stability and thermophysical properties of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with double-distilled water (W) and double-distilled water/ethylene glycol (W/EG) mixtures are investigated. Stability analyses are performed through visual observation, thermal conductivity measurements, spectrophotometry and zeta potential measurement methods. An increase in ethylene glycol ratio in water increases the stability of nanofluid, which helps the nanoparticles disperse uniformly in the base fluid for a longer duration. It is concluded from the results that MWCNT nanofluids with a W/EG system (50:50) has good stability, showing no agglomeration for 36 d as compared with other nanofluids. Thermophysical properties such as thermal conductivity, viscosity and density with temperature were also measured. Maximum thermal conductivity enhancement of 29% was observed for MWCNT-nanofluid with W/EG system (50:50) at 50°C. It is also observed that with the addition of MWCNT in W/EG mixtures, viscosity and density increase but the enhancement was comparatively low with reference to thermal conductivity. From these results, it was interpreted that both stability and thermal conductivity increase with increase in ethylene glycol ratio in water.     

Al2O3纳米粉体悬浮液热物性实验研究

分别采用瞬态热线法、比较量热法和旋转粘度计测试了不同温度、粒子浓度和粒径下的Al2O3-DW（蒸馏水）纳米流体的导热系数、比热容、粘度等热物性参数。试验结果表明,粒子浓度、粒径和温度都是影响Al2O3-DW纳米流体热物性参数的重要因素。与水相比,纳米流体导热系数和粘度增加,常温4％体积份额下增幅分别为21．5％和52．3％;纳米流体比热容随着粒子体积份额增加而降低,并推导出了常温下低浓度纳米流体比热容的预测公式。     

Thermal Conductivity and Viscosity Measurements of Water-Based TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Nanofluids

In this study, the thermal conductivity and viscosity of TiO₂ nanoparticles in deionized water were investigated up to a volume fraction of 3% of particles. The nanofluid was prepared by dispersing TiO₂ nanoparticles in deionized water by using ultrasonic equipment. The mean diameter of TiO₂ nanoparticles was 21 nm. While the thermal conductivity of nanofluids has been measured in general using conventional techniques such as the transient hot-wire method, this work presents the application of the 3ω method for measuring the thermal conductivity. The 3ω method was validated by measuring the thermal conductivity of pure fluids (water, methanol, ethanol, and ethylene glycol), yielding accurate values within 2%. Following this validation, the effective thermal conductivity of TiO₂ nanoparticles in deionized water was measured at temperatures of 13 °C, 23 °C, 40 °C, and 55 °C. The experimental results showed that the thermal conductivity increases with an increase of particle volume fraction, and the enhancement was observed to be 7.4% over the base fluid for a nanofluid with 3% volume fraction of TiO₂ nanoparticles at 13 °C. The increase in viscosity with the increase of particle volume fraction was much more than predicted by the Einstein model. From this research, it seems that the increase in the nanofluid viscosity is larger than the enhancement in the thermal conductivity.     

MgO nanofluids: higher thermal conductivity and lower viscosity among ethylene glycol-based nanofluids containing oxide nanoparticles

Five kinds of oxides, including MgO, TiO₂, ZnO, Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ nanoparticles were selected as additives and ethylene glycol (EG) was used as base fluid to prepare stable nanofluids. Thermal transport property investigation demonstrated substantial increments in the thermal conductivity and viscosity of all these nanofluids with oxide nanoparticle addition in EG. Among all the studied nanofluids, MgO–EG nanofluid was found to have superior features, with the highest thermal conductivity and lowest viscosity. The thermal conductivity enhancement ratio of MgO–EG nanofluid increases nonlinearly with the volume fraction of nanoparticles. In the experimental temperature range of 10–60°C, thermal conductivity enhancement ratio of MgO–EG nanofluids appears to have a weak dependence on the temperature. Viscosity measurements showed that MgO–EG nanofluids demonstrated Newtonian rheological behaviour, and the viscosity significantly decreases with the temperature. The thermal conductivity and viscosity increments of the nanofluids are much higher than the corresponding values predicted by the existing classical models for the solid–liquid mixture.     

Electrical conductivity of polyvinylidene fluoride nanocomposites with carbon nanotubes and nanofibers

Polyvinylidene fluoride nanocomposites with low loading levels of pristine multiwalled carbon nanotubes, carboxyl functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes and vapor grown carbon nanofibers were prepared by a versatile coagulation method. The alternating current electrical conductivity of these composites in the frequency range of 40-12 MHz was investigated. The alternating current conductivity of percolating nanocomposites followed a universal dynamic response. Therefore, both the direct current plateau and frequency dependent regime were observed. The percolation threshold of three composite systems was determined to be 1.0, 0.98, and 1.46 vol.%, respectively. Moreover, the percolative nanocomposites exhibited nonlinear current-voltage responses, demonstrating the presence of tunneling conduction.     

On the thermal conductivity of nanofluids

The dependence of the effective thermal conductivity λ of nanofluids on the properties of dispersed nanoparticles has been studied by the molecular dynamics method. It is established that the thermal conductivity of a nanofluid always exceeds that of the carrier medium, the excess depending on the volume fraction of nanoparticles, their masses, and sizes. An increase in the nanoparticle mass at a constant size leads to a more pronounced increase in λ than does the growth in size at a constant mass, which implies that the density of dispersed nanoparticles is an important factor that determines the thermal conductivity of nanofluids.     

Particle shape effect on the viscosity and thermal conductivity of ZnO nanofluids

The viscosity and thermal conductivity of ZnO nanofluids with nanoparticle shapes of nearly rectangular and of sphere, were experimentally investigated under various volume concentrations of the nanoparticles, ranging from 0.05 to 5.0 vol.%. The viscosity of the nanofluids increased with increases in the volume concentration by up to 69%. In addition, the enhancement of the viscosity of the nearly rectangular shape nanoparticles was found to be greater by 7.7%, than that of the spherical nanoparticles. The thermal conductivity of the ZnO nanofluids increased by up to 12% and 18% at 5.0 vol.% for the spherical and the nearly rectangular shape nanoparticles, respectively, compared to that of the base fluid (water). The shape of the particles is found to have a significant effect on the viscosity and thermal conductivity enhancements.     

Effects of single and multi-walled carbon nano tubes on water and engine oil based rotating fluids with internal heating

Three dimensional (3D) flow of a rotating Water and Engine Oil Based fluid is analyzed. Effects of nanometer (nm) sized Single (SWCNT) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) are examined on flow and heat transfer characteristics. Thermofluid performance within Water and Engine Oil base fluid are investigated using thermal conductivity and viscosity of both single and multiple wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) of similar volume. The governing partial differential equations are converted into nonlinear, coupled, ordinary differential equations which are solved numerically using a combination of Quasi-linearization and Chebyshev pseudo-spectral methods. Effects of relevant parameters on physical quantities are examined. The obtained results revealed an enhancement in temperature as well as corresponding thermal boundary layer thickness with volume fraction of both types of carbon nanotubes. Due to higher density and thermal conductivity, SWCNTs offer higher skin friction and Nusselt number. Engine oil base fluid depicted higher heat transfer rate and local skin friction than water based fluid for both type of carbon nanotubes. Residual error are plotted to check the accuracy of obtained results. Comparison with previously published literature is made and an excellent agreement is observed which validate our applied numerical scheme.     

Synthesis of Hybrid Materials Based on Iron Nanoparticle-Decorated Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

Fe-containing nanoparticles have been grown for the first time on the surface of multiwalled carbon nanotubes by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition using iron acetylacetonate, Fe(acac)₃, as a precursor. The resultant hybrid nanomaterial has been characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The results demonstrate that the synthesized material consists of multiwalled carbon nanotubes whose surface is decorated with iron nanoparticles.     

Rheological behavior of carbon nanotube and graphite nanoparticle dispersions

Dispersions containing nanoparticles (nanofluids) are mixtures with unique properties, and their transport properties depend on the three-dimensional network or microstructure of the nanoparticles, which can be affected by various factors including shear stress, particle loading, and temperature. In this research, we studied the rheological behaviors of dispersions containing two different carbon morphologies: multiwalled carbon nanotubes (rodlike nanoparticles with L/D = 30), and graphite particles (disklike nanoparticles with L/D = 0.025). All nanofluids showed shear thinning behavior in steady shear measurements and those containing nanotubes had lower power law indices than graphite dispersions. Shear stress broke down the microstructure network and oriented both rodlike and disklike nanoparticles in the dispersions. The presence of a modest amount of nanotubes in the graphite nanofluid affected the microstructure of the dispersion and caused a remarkable decrease in its power law index. Microstructures of nanofluids strongly depended on the dispersant chemistry used to stabilize the particles, and high temperature may cause dispersant failure. Mechanical methods for dispersing the particles affected the geometry of the nanoparticles and therefore the rheological properties of the nanofluids. In the creep recovery tests, the compliance of graphite nanofluids quickly returned to zero when the stress was removed, while nanotube dispersion with high nanotube loading showed an elastic response during recovery. These results suggest that the microstructure in the dispersions is affected by nanoparticle morphology, dispersant chemistry, and shear stress.     

Stability and thermal conductivity enhancement of carbon nanotube nanofluid using gum arabic

This experimental study reports on the stability and thermal conductivity enhancement of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) nanofluids with and without gum arabic (GA). The stability of CNT in the presence of GA dispersant in water is systematically investigated by taking into account the combined effect of various parameters, such as sonication time, temperature, dispersant and particle concentration. The concentrations of CNT and GA have been varied from 0.01 to 0.1?wt% and from 0.25 to 5?wt%, respectively, and the sonication time has been varied in between 1 and 24?h. The stability of nanofluid is measured in terms of CNT concentration as a function of sediment time using UV-Vis spectrophotometer. Thermal conductivity of CNT nanofluids is measured using KD-2 prothermal conductivity meter from 25 to 60°C. Optimum GA concentration is obtained for the entire range of CNT concentration and 1–2.5?wt% of GA is found to be sufficient to stabilise all CNT range in water. Rapid sedimentation of CNTs is observed at higher GA concentration and sonication time. CNT in aqueous suspensions show strong tendency to aggregation and networking into clusters. Stability and thermal conductivity enhancement of CNT nanofluids have been presented to provide a heat transport medium capable of achieving high heat conductivity. Increase in CNT concentrations resulted in the non-linear thermal conductivity enhancement. More than 100–250% enhancement in thermal conductivity is observed for the range of CNT concentration and temperature.     

功能三维石墨烯-多壁碳纳米管/热塑性聚氨酯复合材料的制备及性能

采用水热还原法将羧基化多壁碳纳米管（MWCNTs—COOH）接枝到氧化石墨烯（GO）上,经冷冻干燥得到三维石墨烯-多壁碳纳米管气凝胶（GA-MWCNTs）,再以热塑性聚氨酯（TPU）为填充体,通过真空浸渍法制得三维石墨烯-多壁碳纳米管/热塑性聚氨酯（GA-MWCNTs/TPU）复合材料。借助FTIR、Raman、XPS、TEM、SEM,对GA-MWCNTs的化学结构、微观形貌进行表征,并通过TGA-DSC、电阻测量仪和力学试验机,分析MWCNTs—COOH质量分数对GA-MWCNTs/TPU复合材料性能的影响。结果表明:MWCNTs—COOH在GO片层间起到交联和支撑作用,形成了蜂窝状三维网络结构,其孔径约为1.2 mm;当MWCNTs—COOH质量分数（以120 mg GO为基准）为10wt%时,GA-MWCNTs/TPU复合材料的导电性、热稳定性、力学性能均得到改善,相比于GA/TPU,体积电阻率降低了63.0%、热分解温度提高了7℃、30%应变下的应力提高了8.2%。      

The growth of carbon nanotubes on large areas of silicon substrate using commercial iron oxide nanoparticles as a catalyst

A new approach to chemical vapour deposition (CVD) growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using commercial magnetite nanoparticles, avoiding its in situ synthesis, is reported. Commercial magnetite nanoparticles were used as catalyst material to growth multiwalled carbon nanotubes by chemical vapour deposition onto a silicon substrate of several square centimeters in area. It is shown that the application of an alternating electric field during the deposition of catalytical nanoparticles is an effective technique to avoid their agglomeration allowing nanotube growth. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the nanotubes grow perpendicularly to the substrate and formed an aligned nanotubes array. The array density can be controlled by modifying the deposited nanoparticle concentration.     

Effect of Polyaniline Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes Addition on the Positive Temperature Coefficient Behavior of Carbon Black/High-Density Polyethylene Nanocomposites

The influence of addition of polyaniline functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (PANI-MWNTs) on the positive temperature coefficient (PTC) characteristics of carbon black (CB) filled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) nanocomposite materials have been studied. Polymer nanocomposites were prepared by the combined solution and melt-mixing process. The experimental results showed that the PTC intensity and maximum resistivity of the hybrid nanocomposites were obviously influenced by the polyaniline functionalization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). A noticeable PTC of resistivity was observed for PANI-MWNTs/CB/HDPE hybrid nanocomposites near the melting point of HDPE. This is due to the significant volume expansion near the melting point of the HDPE in presence of hybrid fillers and a sudden increase of the resistivity due to the disconnection of the conductive paths. The PTC effect of CB/HDPE composites can be effectively modified by the addition of PANI-MWNTs.     

Ethylene glycol oxidation on Pt and Pt-Ru nanoparticle decorated polythiophene/multiwalled carbon nanotube composites for fuel cell applications

A novel supporting material containing polythiophene (PTh) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) (PTh-CNTs) is prepared by in?situ polymerization of thiophene on carbon nanotubes using FeCl(3) as oxidizing agent under sonication. The prepared polythiophene/CNT composites are further decorated with Pt and Pt-Ru nanoparticles by chemical reduction of the corresponding metal salts using HCHO as reducing agent at pH = 11 (Pt/PTh-CNT and Pt-Ru/PTh-CNT). The fabricated composite films decorated with nanoparticles were investigated towards the electrochemical oxidation of ethylene glycol (EG). The presence of carbon nanotubes in conjugation with a conducting polymer produces a good catalytic effect, which might be due to the higher electrochemically accessible surface areas, electronic conductivity and easier charge-transfer at polymer/electrolyte interfaces, which allows higher dispersion of Pt and Pt-Ru nanoparticles. Such nanoparticle modified PTh-CNT electrodes exhibit better catalytic behavior towards ethylene glycol oxidation. Results show that Pt/PTh-CNT and Pt-Ru/PTh-CNT modified electrodes show enhanced electrocatalytic activity and stability towards the electro-oxidation of ethylene glycol than the Pt/PTh electrodes, which shows that the composite film is more promising for applications in fuel cells.     

金属氧化物纳米流体的导热性能研究

采用瞬态热线法测量了4种不同种类、不同体积份额配比的纳米流体的导热系数,分析了纳米颗粒属性、体积分数、悬浮稳定性及温度等因素对纳米流体导热系数的影响.实验结果表明,在流体中加入纳米颗粒将显著提高流体的导热系数.     

Supramolecular assembly and antitumor activity of multiwalled carbon nanotube-camptothecin complexes

The novel supramolecular complexes were prepared with a water-insoluble anticancer drug camptothecin (CPT) loading onto functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes via pi-stacking, in order to improve their solubility and antitumor activity. The multiwalled carbon nanotubes were firstly coated with the tri-block copolymer (Pluronic P123) to render high aqueous solubility. The copolymer-coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes can effectively form non-covalent supramolecular complexes with camptothecin. The supramolecular assembly of the complexes (f-MWNTs-CPT) were systematically characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis spectrophotometry (UV), fluorescence spectrophotometry, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Furthermore, in vitro cytotoxicity studies of f-MWNTs-CPT supramolecular complexes using the MTT assay exhibit enhanced antitumor activity, suggesting that the functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes can facilitate intracellular delivery of anticancer drug and improve drug activity.