Thermophysical Properties of Nanofluids Composed of Ethylene Glycol and Long Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Abstract

In this work, thermal conductivity, viscosity, isobaric heat capacity, and density of stable carbon-based nanofluids are presented. The nanofluids under study are composed of 1,2-ethanediol (ethylene glycol, EG) and long multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), so-called ‘in-house 16h’ (synthesized in our laboratory via catalytic chemical vapor deposition during 16 h with a diameter of 60–80 nm and length of 770 μm). Poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) was used to increase the stability of nanofluids. The nanofluids were prepared via an ultrasonication-assisted, three-step method while their key thermophysical characteristics were obtained using the hot-wire technique and rotary viscometer. As a result, the addition of MWCNTs significantly improved the thermal conductivity of nanofluids by 31.5% for the highest 1.0 wt% (0.498 vol%) long MWCNT content, leaving the Newtonian character of the nanofluids practically intact.