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

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 TiO 2 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 TiO 2 nanofluids, the flattened “Ag” particles are incorporated with the combination of small (15 nm) and large (300 nm) TiO 2 nanoparticles in an aqueous solution. The thermal conductivities of Ag/TiO 2 –water nanofluids with various weight concentrations are measured at temperatures ranging from 15 to 40 °C. As a result, the present study confirms that the thermal conductivity of TiO 2 based solution can be improved by introducing the flattened “Ag” particles.