The present flow phenomena characterize the behavior of the Brownian motion and thermophoresis considering the Buongiorno model nanofluid through a non-linearly expanding Riga plate. The conjunction of thermal radiation with zero nanoparticle mass flux and convective boundary conditions enriches the thermal properties of the nanofluid. With the recent need in various industrial applications, the biomedical sector, for the design and development of the production process of various equipment, the role of nanofluid is vital. Further, the suitable variables leading to transformation rules are useful to get rid of the dimensional form of the governing equations. Traditional numerical technique with the help of shooting-based Runge–Kutta fourth-order technique is adopted for the solution of a transformed set of equations. The physical behavior of the characterizing components is presented and described briefly. Further, the important outcomes are the use of Hartmann number that overshoots the velocity profile, whereas the heat transfer retards significantly and enhanced thermophoresis attenuates the heat transfer rate.