Nanofluids including ceramic and other nanoparticles: Synthesis and thermal properties

This chapter reports the detailed study on the synthesis of nanofluids comprising very low concentrations of nanometric metallic or ceramic particles, rods, tubes, etc. The most common ways of preparing nanofluids are the one-step and two-step methods. While the one-step approach usually yields more stable nanofluids, the two-step method is more versatile as it provides the opportunity to disperse a wide variety of nanoparticles in different types of base fluids. However, the main focus of this chapter is on the thermal conductivity of nanofluids, which is the most researched aspect of nanofluids worldwide. An insight into the different parameters that influence the thermal conductivity of nanofluids is presented. In addition to experimental work, the theories used to try to analyze the cause of the anomalous increase in thermal conductivity are also presented