THERMAL BOUNDARY CONDUCTANCE OF CARBON NANOFINS

Nanofluids are suspensions of nanoparticles and fibers which have recently attracted much attention because of their superior thermal properties. Nevertheless, it was proven that, due to modest dispersion of nanoparticles, such high expectations often remain unmet. Introducing the notion of nanofin, a possible advancement was envisioned, where nanostructures with high aspect- ratio are sparsely attached to a solid surface and act as thermal bridges within the boundary layer (E. Chiavazzo, P. Asinari, Nanoscale Research Letters, 2011). In this context, we focus on single carbon nanotubes to enhance heat transfer between a surface and a fluid in contact with it. Thermal conductance at the interface between a single wall carbon nanotube (nanofin) and water molecules is assessed by means of both steady-state and transient numerical experiments. Numerical evidences suggest a pretty favorable thermal boundary conductance (order of 10^7 Wm−2 K−1 ) which makes carbon nanotubes potential candidates for constructing nanofinned surfaces.