Hydrophobically modified nanoparticle suspensions to enhance water evaporation rate

Abstract

The evaporation rates of water can be enhanced by adding the hydrophobically modified nanoparticles as a suspension. The magnitudes of enhancement are related to the diameter and mass concentration of nanoparticles. In particular, a 15% enhancement was achieved after adding the modified Al2O3 nanoparticle with a diameter of 13 nm and mass percentage of 0.02%. A theoretical model was established in order to estimate the evaporation rates of hydrophobic particle-based nanofluids. The obtained results indicate that the enhanced evaporation rates are attributed to the elevated saturated vapor pressures of the nanofluids. These results may have important applications for energy-efficient enhancement of water evaporation rates.