Mechanism of thermal transport in dilute nanocolloids

Thermal conduction modes in a nanocolloid (nanofluid) are quantitatively assessed by combining linear response theory with molecular dynamics simulations. The microscopic heat flux is decomposed into three additive fluctuation modes, namely, kinetic, potential, and collision. For low volume fractions (<1%) of nanosized platinum clusters which interact strongly with xenon host liquid, a significant thermal conductivity enhancement results from the self correlation in the potential flux. Our findings reveal a molecular-level mechanism for enhanced thermal conductivity in nanocolloids with short-ranged attraction and offer predictions that can be experimentally tested.