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International audience; Thermosyphons are heat transfer devices characterized by high efficiency due to simultaneous phase changes occurring in the evaporation-condensation cycle of working fluid. One of the most promising solutions to enhance their heat transfer capacity of the device is the use of nanofluids – suspensions of particles with at least one dimension below 100 nm. It was determined that nanofluid does not influence the work of thermosyphons condenser section and the focus should be put on the boiling process in the evaporator section. During boiling, nanoparticles tend to deposit on the heater’s surface, what alters characteristics of this surface and near surface hydrodynamics. This changes the appearance of nanofluid, but the precise effect on how the deposition of particles affects the properties of nanofluid is unknown. Changes in surface tension and wettability affect boiling regimes (e.g. reduced surface tension reduces the size of departing bubbles and inhibits geysering), and efficiency of heat transfer through the device. Understanding of those parameters is crucial for the development of appropriate models describing heat transfer in thermosyphon working with nanofluids. The main goal of this study is to determine surface tension and contact angle of nanofluids based on silica nanoparticles and nano-sized graphene oxide flakes before and after the experimental boiling cycle in the thermosyphon. Results show that, in comparison with water, silica nanofluid (2 vol.%) is characterized by lower surface tension and contact angles on both analysed surfaces. After-use silica nanofluid exhibited noticeably higher averaged surface tension and smaller contact angles in comparison to the fresh working medium. The change was most likely due to the decreased concentration caused by the deposition of nanoparticles during the thermosyphon operation. Still, the differences between before-use and after-use samples were smaller than the measurement uncertainties. Before-use graphene oxide nanofluid already showed surface tension and contact angle similar to water due to low concentration of graphene flakes (0.1 g/L). Consequently, the properties of after-use graphene oxide fluid were also not much different from water. Additional measurements of surface tension for graphene oxide nanofluid with and without addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate surfactant allowed to differentiate the effects caused by graphene flakes and surfactant. The surfactant reduced the surface tension of the nanofluid, but the change was smaller than in case of surfactant addition to pure water.

High-quality graphene is an especially promising carbon nanomaterial for developing nanofluids for enhancing heat transfer in fluid circulation systems. We report a complete study on few layer graphene (FLG) based nanofluids, including FLG synthesis, FLG-based nanofluid preparation, and their thermal conductivity. The FLG sample is synthesized by an original mechanical exfoliation method. The morphological and structural characterization are investigated by both scanning and transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The chosen two-step method involves the use of thee nonionic surfactants (Triton X-100, Pluronic&reg, P123, and Gum Arabic), a commercial mixture of water and propylene glycol and a mass content in FLG from 0.05 to 0.5%. The thermal conductivity measurements of the three FLG-based nanofluid series are carried out in the temperature range 283.15&ndash, 323.15 K by the transient hot-wire method. From a modeling analysis of the nanofluid thermal conductivity behavior, it is finally shown that synergetic effects of FLG nanosheet size and thermal resistance at the FLG interface both have significant impact on the evidenced thermal conductivity enhancement.

International audience; We study a two-dimensional binary mixture of active and passive colloids as an idealized model of an hybrid aggregate of living cells and inert particles. We perform molecular dynamics simulations of this system using two different thermostats, and we systematically investigate the effect of varying these two effective temperatures on the system behavior, as characterized by its density, structure and thermoelastic properties. Our results indicate that the presence of active colloids shifts the mixture towards the liquid state and renders it more deformable. Such system softening and melting effects due to the addition of active particles are larger than expected from a linear combination of temperatures of the active and passive components. This heightened effect becomes more pronounced as the effective temperature difference between the two components becomes larger. The binary mixture remains homogeneous for moderate colloidal activity, but segregation arises for large effective temperature difference. Our results provide insights to guide future experimental hybrid aggregate studies with promising biomedical applications.

International audience; We report in this study the experimental investigation of the dynamic viscosity of purified multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) water and water-propylene glycol-based nanofluids in the temperature range 10-80 degrees C. Four weight concentrations of MWCNTs are considered, between 0.005 and 0.1 wt.%. Triton X-100, a common nonionic surfactant, is used to disperse the nanotubes and stabilize the nanofluids as evidenced by optical characterization. Purified and non-damaged MWCNTs are used for nanofluid preparation by the two-step method. MWCNT characterization is deeply investigated from a set of complementary techniques such as thermogravimetric analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The studied nanofluids behave as Newtonian fluids for low nanotube content while a shear-thinning behavior is noticed for higher concentration. Finally, the viscosity enhancement of nanofluids with MWCNT loading is compared to the modified Maron-Pierce model considering the presence of aggregates and their size obtained from optical observations.

The main objective of this study is to design and characterize silver suspensions based on poly(ethylene glycol) PEG400, Ag/PEG400, as energy storage media for low-temperature applications. A polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) treatment was applied to ~22 nm silver nanoparticles to ensure good stability in poly(ethylene glycol). An array of different experimental techniques was utilized to analyze the molecular mass and purity of base poly(ethylene glycol), morphology of dry PVP-capped Ag nanoparticles, hydrodynamic average size of dispersed Ag particles, as well as thermal stability of PEG400 and Ag/PEG400 dispersions. Samples exhibited good temporal stabilities with average hydrodynamic diameter around 50 nm according to dynamic light scattering analyses. Melting and solidification transitions were investigated in terms of temperature and enthalpy from differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) thermograms. The thermophysical characterization was completed with thermal conductivity (k), dynamic viscosity (&eta, ), isobaric heat capacity (Cp), density (&rho, ), and surface tension (&sigma, ) measurements of designed materials using a Hot Disk thermal conductivimeter, a rotational rheometer, a DSC calorimeter working with a quasi-isothermal modulated method, a U-tube densimeter and a drop shape analyzer, respectively. For a nanoparticle loading of only 1.1% in mass, sub-cooling reduced by 7.1% and thermal conductive improved by 3.9%, with almost no penalization in dynamic viscosity (less than 5.4% of increase). Maximum modifications in Cp, &rho, and &sigma, were 0.9%, 2.2%, and 2.2%, respectively. Experimental results were compared with the values provided by using different theoretical or semi-empirical equations. In particular, good descriptions of dynamic viscosity as functions of temperature and nanoparticle volume concentration were obtained by using the Vogel&ndash, Fulcher&ndash, Tammann equation and a first-order polynomial &eta, ( ϕ v , n p ) correlation, with absolute average deviations of 2.2% and 0.55%, respectively.

International audience; Nanofluids which consist of the addition of nanoparticles in a base fluid are envisaged for a large domain of applications. For many of them, the surface tension (ST) behavior of the prepared nanofluids is a key parameter to exploit their thermophysical properties. Due to their remarkable properties, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are commonly used to develop nanofluids. However, the evolution of the ST of CNT-based nanofluids is still far from being understood and predictable. In the present work, two base fluids were used: water and a commercial mixture of propylene-glycol/water (around 40:60 wt%). The impact of the used multi-walled CNT (MWCNT) addition, MWCNT concentration (0.001 and 0.1 wt%) and temperature variation (273.15–333.15 K) on the density and ST evolution for the two kinds of CNT-based nanofluids is studied. The chemically modified MWCNTs are assumed to bear both localized hydrophilic areas due to grafted functional groups and remaining hydrophobic surfaces. The found difference in ST behavior between the two types of nanofluids is explained in light with the involved interfaces in each nanofluid. ST evolution is found to strongly depend on the CNT surface properties.

International audience; Nowadays, the use of nanofluids as alternative to commonly-used industrial heat transfer fluids is a topic of increasing interest. Analysing the improved efficiency of heat transfer processes according to advanced nanomaterials and obtaining stable nanofluids is one of the most interesting challenges. This paper presents a study of nanofluids based on boron nitride nanotubes and using an aqueous solution of Triton X-100 (which acts as a surfactant) as the base fluid. UV-vis spectroscopy, particle size measurements (size between 150 and 170 nm) and potential (at about 25 mV) showed that stable nanofluids were obtained. Surface tension measurements were also performed. The surface tension of water was weakly affected by the presence of any amount of nanoparticles and was mainly governed by the presence of surfactant. The rheological properties of the fluids were also analysed, as were their isobaric specific heat and thermal conductivity values. A Newtonian behaviour was observed for the base fluid and the nanofluids, with no significant increase in viscosity. The isobaric specific heat increased by 8% and thermal conductivity by 10% compared with the base fluid. Thus, the results obtained are interesting because while thermal properties improved with nanoparticle content, rheological behaviour did not change. Consequently, the nanofluids studied in the current paper do not raise the pressure drop and pumping power significantly and may therefore be a good option for thermal system applications.

International audience; Graphene derivatives are promising nanomaterials for producing nanofluids due to their excellent intrinsic characteristics. Among thermophysical profile, and in addition to thermal properties, relevant property to evaluate the potential of graphene-based nanofluids as efficient and reliable heat transfer fluids is viscosity, and rheological behavior in a wider sense. Therefore, the aim of this review paper is to give a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge and results about the rheological properties of graphene-based nanofluids. After a brief description of the most common methods used for fabricating or extracting graphene derivatives, the main steps of graphene-based nanofluids preparation are introduced. Then, literature results on Newtonian/non-Newtonian behavior as well as variations in apparent dynamic viscosity of suspensions containing graphene derivatives are reviewed, analyzing the effects of shear rate, concentration, base fluids and temperature. Such an analysis is performed distinguishing the different types of graphene derivatives, namely graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, pristine graphene, graphene quantum dots, functionalized and doped graphene. Also, the impact of base fluid, temperature, concentration and surfactant on viscosity enhancement of graphene-based nanofluids is graphically and newly presented and discussed. In addition, the current models for viscosity prediction or correlation of those nanofluids are detailed. Finally, challenges and future works are summarized.

International audience; The paper summarizes results of experimental studies on thermophysical and electrical properties of ethylene glycol based nanofluids containing carbon black nanoparticles. Two types of nanoparticles differing in size and specific surface area were used to develop nanofluids. During the examination thermal conductivity, isobaric heat capacity, mass density, nanofluid-air surface tension, dynamic viscosity, refractive index and electrical conductivity were measured in strict controlled temperature 298.15 K. Obtained results indicate that the specific surface area has great influence on these fundamental properties of nanofluids developed with carbon nanoparticles. Finally, the enhancement of electrical conductivity described in the paper is one of the highest reported for the nanofluids in available literature.

International audience; We report the shear flow behavior of few layer graphene (FLG) based nanofluids produced with a commercial mixture of water and propylene glycol and three nonionic surfactants, Triton X-100, Pluronic® P123, and Gum Arabic respectively. The flow properties of these nanofluids were experimentally investigated between 283.15 and 323.15 K and for FLG content from 0.05 to 0.5 wt%. The nanofluids were subjected to different experiments, at rest at fixed temperature, under steady shear flow at fixed temperature and under temperature ramp at fixed shear rate in order to evaluate their stability and behavior under shear and temperature influence. These results were compared and correlated to visual aspect of the samples at the end of measurements. This experimental study evidences that the temperature, the shearing and the shearing duration have an important influence on the stability under shear of nanofluids in function of concentration and surfactant used. Finally, for all stable nanofluids under shear, the dynamic viscosity evolution of nanofluids with temperature is correlated to Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann model. © 2020

This paper focuses on an experimental study of the surface tension of nanofluids based on ethylene glycol with various types of nitride nanoparticles. Samples were prepared using a two-step method with mass content between 1 and 5% of particles. Nanofluids contain three types of nitride nanoparticles: aluminum nitride, silicon nitride and titanium nitride with various particle average sizes. Surface tension of nanofluids was investigated at a constant temperature of 298.15 K with two different techniques: du Noüy ring method and pendant drop method. It is presented that experimental values obtained with both methods are in good agreement with each other. Also, results obtained during this study show that the addition of this type of nanoparticles does not have a significant impact on the surface tension of base fluid for the concentrations and diameters of nitride nanoparticles considered. European Cooperation in Science and Technology | Ref. COST-STSM-CA15119-42458 European Cooperation in Science and Technology | Ref. COST-STSM-CA15119-42918