Spreading Dynamics of Al2O3-Water Nanofluid Droplets Impacting On a Smooth Flat Surface

This research focuses on the maximum spreading diameters of Al 2 O 3 -water nanofluid droplets and their comparison with available literature models for pure liquids based on the energy conservation principle. In total, 978 data points are acquired for three different nanoparticle concentrations in various aqueous glycerol solutions. To ensure accuracy, each sample is experimentally characterized before the droplet impact measurements in terms of stability, density, viscosity, and surface tension. We demonstrate that nanofluid droplets exhibit different spreading dynamics with respect to pure liquids. That is, the models formulated for the pure liquids cannot directly predict the maximum spreading factor for the nanofluid droplets, and the underprediction can even reach up to 45%.