Beyond the Maxwell Limit: Thermal Conduction in Nanofluids with Percolating Fluid Structures

In a well-dispersed nanofluid with strong cluster-fluid attraction, thermal conduction paths can arise through percolating amorphous-like interfacial structures. This results in a thermal conductivity enhancement beyond the Maxwell limit of 3*phi, with phi being the nanoparticle volume fraction. Our findings from non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations, which are amenable to experimental verification, can provide a theoretical basis for the development of future nanofluids.