Numerical study of the formation of liquid layer at the liquid–solid interface near the graphene in nanofluid

Abstract

The interfacial liquid layer formed by liquid atoms around the nanoparticle which is dispersed in a base fluid is considered among the mechanisms responsible for the thermal transport enhancement in nanofluid. The present work shows the effect of vibration of graphene nanosheets inside the argon liquid on the formation of a liquid layer at the liquid -solid interface near the graphene. This feature has been examined by using the (MDS) molecular dynamics simulation. The vibration of graphene nanosheet is surveyed by studying the behaviors of positions and velocities of carbon atoms that are recorded at each time step during molecular dynamics simulation. Similarly, the formation of the interfacial liquid layer near the graphene is examined by calculating the number density of liquid atoms in specified space near the graphene in the simulation domain. The numerical results show that the carbon atoms of graphene nanosheets vibrate around their local positions inside the liquid argon. Also, they show that no significant layering of liquid argon near the graphene nanosheet is observed, this last indicates that the interfacial liquid layer near the graphene nanosheet is not formed inside the liquid argon. Therefore, these results lead to the conclusion that the vibration of graphene is mechanism responsible for the lack of the layer liquid around the graphene nanosheet that is dispersed within liquid argon. Furthermore, the liquid layer at the liquid argon- graphene nanosheet interface in nanofluid (argon-graphene) is not a mechanism possible producing the enhanced thermal transport in nanofluid containing graphene nanosheets.