Mean-field versus microconvection effects in nanofluid thermal conduction

Phys Rev Lett. 2007 Aug 31;99(9):095901. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.095901. Epub 2007 Aug 28.

Abstract

Transient hot-wire data on thermal conductivity of suspensions of silica and perfluorinated particles show agreement with the mean-field theory of Maxwell but not with the recently postulated microconvection mechanism. The influence of interfacial thermal resistance, convective effects at microscales, and the possibility of thermal conductivity enhancements beyond the Maxwell limit are discussed.