Remarkable thermal conductivity enhancement in Ag-decorated graphene nanocomposites based nanofluid by laser liquid solid interaction in ethylene glycol

M C Mbambo; S Khamlich; T Khamliche; M K Moodley; K Kaviyarasu; I G Madiba; M J Madito; M Khenfouch; J Kennedy; M Henini; E Manikandan; M Maaza

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-67418-3

Remarkable thermal conductivity enhancement in Ag-decorated graphene nanocomposites based nanofluid by laser liquid solid interaction in ethylene glycol

Sci Rep. 2020 Jul 3;10(1):10982. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-67418-3.

Authors

M C Mbambo^{1

2}, S Khamlich^{3

4}, T Khamliche^{3

4}, M K Moodley⁵, K Kaviyarasu^{6

7}, I G Madiba^{3

4}, M J Madito⁴, M Khenfouch^{3

4}, J Kennedy^{3

4

8}, M Henini^{3

4

9}, E Manikandan^{3

4

10}, M Maaza^{11

12}

Affiliations

¹ UNESCO-UNISA Africa Chair in Nanosciences-Nanotechnology, College of Graduate Studies, University of South Africa, Muckleneuk Ridge, PO Box 392, Pretoria, South Africa. mbamboc@webmail.co.za.
² Nanosciences African Network (NANOAFNET), iThemba LABS-National Research Foundation, 1 Old Faure Road, Somerset West 7129, PO Box 722, Somerset West, Western Cape Province, South Africa. mbamboc@webmail.co.za.
³ UNESCO-UNISA Africa Chair in Nanosciences-Nanotechnology, College of Graduate Studies, University of South Africa, Muckleneuk Ridge, PO Box 392, Pretoria, South Africa.
⁴ Nanosciences African Network (NANOAFNET), iThemba LABS-National Research Foundation, 1 Old Faure Road, Somerset West 7129, PO Box 722, Somerset West, Western Cape Province, South Africa.
⁵ Discipline of Physics, School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
⁶ UNESCO-UNISA Africa Chair in Nanosciences-Nanotechnology, College of Graduate Studies, University of South Africa, Muckleneuk Ridge, PO Box 392, Pretoria, South Africa. kaviyarasuloyolacollege@gmail.com.
⁷ Nanosciences African Network (NANOAFNET), iThemba LABS-National Research Foundation, 1 Old Faure Road, Somerset West 7129, PO Box 722, Somerset West, Western Cape Province, South Africa. kaviyarasuloyolacollege@gmail.com.
⁸ National Isotope Centre, GNS Science, PO Box 31312, Lower Hutt, 5010, New Zealand.
⁹ School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
¹⁰ Department of Physics, Thiruvalluvar University College of Arts and Science, Thennangur Village, Vandavasi Taluk, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, 604408, India.
¹¹ UNESCO-UNISA Africa Chair in Nanosciences-Nanotechnology, College of Graduate Studies, University of South Africa, Muckleneuk Ridge, PO Box 392, Pretoria, South Africa. likmaaz@gmail.com.
¹² Nanosciences African Network (NANOAFNET), iThemba LABS-National Research Foundation, 1 Old Faure Road, Somerset West 7129, PO Box 722, Somerset West, Western Cape Province, South Africa. likmaaz@gmail.com.

Abstract

We report on the synthesis and enhanced thermal conductivity of stable Ag-decorated 2-D graphene nanocomposite in ethylene glycol based nanofluid by laser liquid solid interaction. A surfactant free nanofluid of Ag nanoparticles anchored onto the 2-D graphene sheets were synthesized using a two-step laser liquid solid interaction approach. In order to understand a pulsed Nd:YAG laser at the fundamental frequency (λ = 1,064 nm) to ablate Ag and graphite composite target submerged in ethylene glycol (EG) to form AgNPs decorated 2-D GNs-EG based nanofluid. From a heat transfer point of view, it was observed that the thermal conductivity of this stable Ag-graphene/EG is significantly enhanced by a factor of about 32.3%; this is highest reported value for a graphene based nanofluid.