Shape-dependent thermal and fluidic properties of Ag-H2O nanofluids in microchannel: A molecular dynamics study

RH Zhang and N Xu and XY Cao and CL Wei and S Qing and Y He, CHEMICAL PHYSICS, 595, 112726 (2025).

DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphys.2025.112726

The optimization of nanoparticle morphology represents a critical yet underexplored avenue for enhancing nanofluids thermal performance in microchannel systems. This study investigates the thermophysical properties of Ag-H2O nanofluids at 1-5 vol% concentration using three nanoparticle shapes (platelet, cylindrical, spherical) via molecular dynamics simulations. Key metrics, including radial distribution function, mean square displacement, and temperature/density profiles were analyzed to establish structure-property relationships. Results demonstrate that platelet-shaped nanoparticles achieve a peak temperature of 327 K, exceeding cylindrical (320K) and spherical (315 K) variants, and outperforming pure water (299 K) by 9.4 %; the diffusion coefficient ordering remained the same, confirming that the mobility of nanoparticles directly amplified the heat transport; nanofluids with platelet particles show a 10.6 % increase in atomic potential energy, supporting the shapeinduced enhancement. These findings underscore the significant role of nanoparticle shape in optimizing heat transfer, advancing the development of high-performance thermal management systems.

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