Nanodiamond-based thermal fluids

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2014 Apr 9;6(7):4778-85. doi: 10.1021/am405575t. Epub 2014 Mar 28.

Abstract

Dispersions of nanodiamond (average size ∼6 nm) within dielectric insulator mineral oil are reported for their enhanced thermal conductivity properties and potential applications in thermal management. Dynamic and kinematic viscosities-very important parameters in thermal management by nanofluids-are investigated. The dependence of the dynamic viscosity is well-described by the theoretical predictions of Einstein's model. The temperature dependence of the dynamic viscosity obeys an Arrhenius-like behavior, where the activation energy and the pre-exponential factor have an exponential dependence on the filler fraction of nanodiamonds. An enhancement in thermal conductivity up to 70% is reported for nanodiamond based thermal fluids. Additional electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis support the experimental data and their interpretation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.