Assessing colloidal stability of long term MWCNT based nanofluids

This report presents an assessment on colloidal stability of functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes based nanofluids. To this end, an innovative technique that allows for measurement of settling velocity during centrifugation is applied. This method also enables measurements without dilution, inferring further accuracy to the experimental study. The results suggest that functionalization techniques enable the production of highly stable nanofluids. It is also found, that the colloidal stabilities of these nanofluids are characterized by hindered settling. The settling velocity decreases when the nanoparticles volume fraction rises from 0.25% to 1.50% due to the increase of interparticle interaction. Furthermore, a high aspect ratio of nanoparticles directly contributed to an increase in colloidal stability. It is expected that these results may significantly contribute to proper tailor of nanofluids engineering, ensuring a long term stable dispersion enhancing industrial application suitability.