Thermal Conductivity of Suspensions Containing Nanosized SiC Particles

Nanosized SiC suspensions were prepared, and their thermal conductivities were measured using a transient hot-wire method. The experimental results showed that the thermal conductivities of the studied suspensions were increased as expected, and the enhancement was proportional to the volume fraction of the solid phase, but the increasing ratio of the thermal conductivity was not significantly related to the base fluid. The effects of the morphologies (size and shape) of the added solid phase on the enhancement of the thermal conductivity of the nanoparticle suspension are reported for the first time.