Continuum mathematics at the nanoscale (Q488810)

The paper discusses three examples where continuum theory may be applied to describe nanoscale phenomena. This is possible in cases of materials with at least one dimension below 100 nm. First, enhanced flow in carbon nanotubes, in comparison to classical theory, is discussed. The presented model shows that the experimentally observed enhancement can be explained using standard flow equations, but with a depletion layer between the liquid and solid interfaces. Within the theory, the slip-length of a liquid moving over a solid surface is expressed by the depletion layer thickness and its viscosity. The second point deals with nanoparticle melting. Nanoparticles often exhibit a sharp increase in the melting rate as their size decreases. A mathematical model is presented, which predicts this phenomenon. The discussion is an extension of the former work by \textit{F. Font} and \textit{T. G. Myers} [``Spherically symmetric nanoparticle melting with a variable phase change temperature'', J. Nanopart. Res. 15, No. 12, Article ID 2086 (2013; \url{doi:10.1007/s11051-013-2086-3})]. Thirdly, nanofluids are considered. Recently, experimentally observed results concerning the remarkable heat transfer characteristics of nanofluids are in contradiction with theoretical models. The authors develop a model for the thermal conductivity of a nanofluid, which provides much higher predictions than the standard Maxwell model and guaratees a better match to the experiments. (abstract of the author with some additions by the reviewer)