Viscosity of Nanofluids—Why It Is Not Described by the Classical Theories

Transport properties of nanofluids are extensively studied last decade. This has been motivated by the use of nanosized systems in various applications. The viscosity of nanofluids is of great significance as the application of nanofluids is always associated with their flow. However, despite the fairly large amount of available experimental information, there is a lack of systematic data on this issue and experimental results are often contradictory. The purpose of this review is to identify the typical parameters determining the viscosity of nanofluids. The dependence of the nanofluid viscosity on the particles concentration, their size and temperature is analyzed. It is explained why the viscosity of nanofluid does not described by the classical theories. It was shown that size of nanoparticles is the key characteristics of nanofluids. In addition the nanofluid is more structural liquid than the base one.