Review of nanofluids for heat transfer applications

Research on nanofluids has progressed rapidly since its enhanced thermal conductivity was first reported about a decade ago, though much controversy and inconsistency have been reported, and insufficient understanding of the formulation and mechanism of nanofluids further limits their applications. This work presents a critical review of research on heat transfer applications of nanofluids with the aim of identifying the limiting factors so as to push forward their further development.