Effect of interface layer on the enhancement of thermal conductivity of SiC-Water nanofluids: Molecular dynamics simulation

To investigate the impact of interfacial layer effects on the thermal conductivity of nanofluids and the microscopic mechanisms of enhanced thermal conductivity, this study employed non-equilibrium molecular dynamics to compute the thermal conductivity, number density, radial distribution function, and mean square displacement distribution of SiC nanofluids. The impact of nanoparticle volume fraction and particle size parameters on the thermal conductivity of nanofluids and the structure of interfacial adsorption layers was discussed. The simulation calculation results show that the coefficient of thermal conductivity of nanofluid is positively related to the volume fraction of nanoparticles, increasing from 0.6529 W/(m·K) to 0.8159 W/(m·K), and the enhancement of thermal conductivity by the volume fraction can be up to 33.97 %. The thermal conductivity is inversely correlated with the change in particle size, and the maximum improvement in thermal conductivity by particle size can reach up to 12.05 %. The simulated results of the thermal conductivity of nanofluid are almost consistent with the predicted results of the Yu&Choi model, and the error is controlled within 5 %. Simultaneously, the thickness of the interfacial adsorption layer decreases with an increase in particle size. This reduction arises due to larger particles having a smaller specific surface area, resulting in fewer particle surfaces covered by the interface layer. Moreover, the impact of particle size on the arrangement and affinity of molecules within the interface layer contributes to this decrease. Overall, interface layer effects exhibit a dual impact on the thermal conduction of nanofluids. The structured formation and high-density distribution of the adsorption layer contribute to enhanced heat transfer, while thermal resistance between nanoparticle surfaces and the fluid restricts heat transmission.