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Nanofluids for Sustainable Heat Transfer Enhancement: Beyond Thermal Conductivity

Author

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  • Yunus Tansu Aksoy

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands)

Abstract

Nanofluids have long been explored for enhancing heat transfer, with early studies focusing primarily on improved thermal conductivity. However, in spray and droplet cooling applications, recent research indicates that conductivity alone cannot fully account for the observed performance gains. Additional mechanisms, such as Brownian-motion-induced convection, dynamic wetting, and nanoparticle-driven surface modification, significantly affect droplet impact dynamics, spreading behavior, boiling transitions, and transient heat transfer during impact and evaporation. This review critically synthesizes these effects, emphasizing how nanofluids interact with complex flow fields, steep thermal gradients, and heated substrates. It also examines emerging strategies for optimizing nanofluid design, including hybrid suspensions and phase-change-enhanced formulations. These developments open new avenues for high-efficiency cooling in electronics, renewable energy systems, and industrial spray processes. By moving beyond thermal conductivity as the sole performance metric, this review promotes a multi-scale, interdisciplinary framework for advancing nanofluid-based thermal technologies that align with sustainability, energy efficiency, and cost effectiveness.

Suggested Citation

  • Yunus Tansu Aksoy, 2025. "Nanofluids for Sustainable Heat Transfer Enhancement: Beyond Thermal Conductivity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-22, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:17:p:8006-:d:1742984
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Le Sun & Jiafeng Geng & Kaijun Dong & Qin Sun, 2024. "An Experimental Study on the Effect of Nanofluids on the Thermal Conductivity and Rheological Properties of a Coolant for Liquids," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-16, March.
    2. Pinar Eneren & Yunus Tansu Aksoy & Maria Rosaria Vetrano, 2023. "Practical Challenges in Nanofluid Convective Heat Transfer Inside Silicon Microchannels," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-18, December.
    3. Pinar Eneren & Yunus Tansu Aksoy & Maria Rosaria Vetrano, 2022. "Experiments on Single-Phase Nanofluid Heat Transfer Mechanisms in Microchannel Heat Sinks: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-21, March.
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