Modeling transient absorption and thermal conductivity in a simple nanofluid.

Molecular dynamics simulations are used to simulate the thermal properties of a model fluid containing nanoparticles (nanofluid). By modeling transient absorption experiments, we show that they provide a reliable determination of interfacial resistance between the particle and the fluid. The flexibility of molecular simulation allows us to consider separately the effect of confinement, particle mass, and Brownian motion on the thermal transfer between fluid and particle. Finally, we show that in the absence of collective effects, the heat conductivity of the nanofluid is well described by the classical Maxwell Garnet equation model.