1. Introduction to nanofluids

Nanofluids are dispersions of nano-sized particles (typically less than 100 nm in diameter), known as nanoparticles, in a base fluid to improve certain properties.

In the case of heat transfer fluids, one of the first parameters to be taken into account when assessing heat exchange potential is thermal conductivity. However, the most commonly used fluids, such as water, oil or ethylene glycol (EG), have low thermal conductivities compared with crystalline solids....