Effect of depositional nanoparticles on heat transfer at the solid–liquid interface using molecular dynamics simulations

Abstract Here, we investigate the effect of depositional nanoparticles (DNPs) on boiling heat transfer using molecular dynamics simulations. We discuss the type and density of DNPs and reveal their physical mechanism on boiling heat transfer. In the case of nanoparticle material changes, the onset time of explosive boiling, the heat flux, and the enhancement factor of the DNPs are calculated, and the results show that the heat transfer at the solid–liquid interface is enhanced due to the DNPs. The enhancement of Cu-DNP is the largest, followed by Ag- and Au-DNP. Compared with a smooth surface, the interfacial interaction of the DNP surface is increased, resulting in the improvement of the surface wettability, which is beneficial to heat transfer. Furthermore, the interfacial thermal resistance affects the heat transfer when the DNP material changes. The DNPs enhance the vibrational thermal matching of atoms at the solid–liquid interface, leading to heat traveling more easily across the interface, and thus the heat transfer between surface and fluid is enhanced. In the case of nanoparticle density changes, the results demonstrate that the boiling heat transfer is enhanced by an increase in DNP density, which confirms that the interfacial interaction and the thermal resistance have significant effects on the heat transfer at the solid–liquid interface.