Rheology of nanofluids. Experiments and molecular dynamics modeling

Abstract

This article discusses the rheology of nanofluids with ordinary spherical particles. It has been shown that about a quarter of nanofluids at not too low concentrations turn out to be pseudo- or viscoplastic. Their rheology is well described by power-law fluid or Herschel–Bulkley models. To study the mechanism of rheology change, the method of nonequilibrium molecular dynamics is used. It is established that the change in rheology has a threshold character. Critical values of the shear rates of rheology change and their dependence on the concentration of nanoparticles, their size and material are found. It is shown that the change in rheology is accompanied by a change in the structure of the studied fluids, which is illustrated by the corresponding radial distribution functions.