Synthesis and characterization of nanofluid for advanced heat transfer applications

Nanofluid is prepared by dispersing about 0.2–2.0 vol.% nanocrystalline Al70Cu30 particles in ethylene glycol. The size/microstructure of the nanoparticles are characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, and the thermal conductivity of the nanofluid is measured using a modified thermal comparator. An improvement of up to two times in conductivity is recorded.