Stability, rheology, and thermophysical properties of surfactant free aqueous single-walled carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoplatelets nanofluids: a comparative study

A comparative study, for the first time, was conducted on thermophysical and rheological properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) nanofluids. Highly stable aqueous 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 wt% SWCNT and GNP nanofluids were successfully prepared with no surfactant, through ultrasound technology. The preparation was explained in detail, adjusting pH to around 8 where nanofluids would be expected to be stable. The highest zeta potential of −60.5 mV was obtained for 2.0 wt% SWCNT nanofluids. Shear thinning was observed for all nanofluids at low shear rates. Unlike shear thickening of GNP, Newtonian behavior of SWCNT nanofluids was detected at high shear rate region. The effect of ultrasound technology was directly verified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), resulting in GNP size reduction and separation of bundles for SWCNT. The results revealed that SWCNT nanofluids showed a remarkable zeta potential value for heat transfer systems compared to GNP nanofluids.