Advanced Thermal Management Using Ionic Nanofluids
Summary
Advanced thermal management using ionic nanofluids leverages the unique combination of ionic liquids and dispersed nanoparticles to achieve superior heat transfer performance. Ionic liquids—organic salts in liquid form at ambient temperature—offer negligible volatility, high thermal stability and tunable physicochemical properties. When nanoscale fillers such as carbon-based materials or two-dimensional MXenes are suspended within these liquids, the resulting ionanofluids exhibit markedly enhanced thermal conductivity, improved heat capacity and tailored rheology. Enhancement mechanisms include intensified Brownian motion, percolation networks at particle interfaces and the formation of ordered interfacial layers. These materials are under investigation for applications ranging from high-flux electronics cooling to concentrated solar thermal systems and advanced energy storage. Challenges remain in ensuring long-term dispersion stability, mitigating viscosity increases and controlling nanoparticle agglomeration. Ongoing research addresses these issues through surface functionalisation, hybrid nanoparticle schemes and process-scale synthesis methods, moving ionic nanofluids closer to practical deployment in sustainable energy and high-performance cooling technologies.
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Advanced Thermal Management Using Ionic Nanofluids publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in advanced thermal management using ionic nanofluids across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Ionic liquid: A salt with a melting point below 100 °C, exhibiting low volatility, high ionic conductivity and tunable solvation properties.
Nanofluid: A base fluid containing nanoscale particles uniformly dispersed to enhance thermal and rheological characteristics.
Thermal conductivity: A measure of a material’s ability to conduct heat, expressed in W m⁻¹ K⁻¹.
Volumetric heat capacity: The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a unit volume of fluid by one degree, reflecting energy-storage capability.
MXene: A family of two-dimensional transition metal carbides or nitrides noted for high surface area, electrical conductivity and compatibility with ionic media.
References
- Thermo-optical characterization of novel MXene/Carbon-dot hybrid nanofluid for heat transfer applications. Journal of Cleaner Production (2024).
- MXene nanofluids in advanced applications: An in-depth review of thermophysical characteristics and technological innovations. Materials Today Sustainability (2025).
- Ionic Liquids-Based Nanocolloids—A Review of Progress and Prospects in Convective Heat Transfer Applications. Nanomaterials (2021).
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