Effective thermal conductivity of condensed polymeric nanofluids (nanosolids) controlled by diffusion and interfacial scattering

Thermal properties of polymeric nanosolids, obtained by condensing the corresponding nanofluids, are investigated using photothermal techniques. The heat transport properties of two sets of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) based nanosolids, TiO₂/PVA and Cu/PVA, prepared by condensing the respective nanofluids, which are prepared by dispersing nanoparticles of TiO₂ and metallic copper in liquid PVA, are reported. Two photothermal techniques, the photoacoustic and the photopyroelectric techniques, have been employed for measuring thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity of these nanosolids. The experimental results indicate that thermal conduction in these polymer composites is controlled by heat diffusion through the embedded particles and interfacial scattering at matrix–particle boundaries. These two mechanisms are combined to arrive at an expression for their effective thermal conductivity. Analysis of the results reveals the possibility to tune the thermal conductivity of such nanosolids over a wide range using the right types of nanoparticles and right concentration.