Research Article

Effect of Surfactant Concentration and Nanoparticle Loading on the Thermal Conductivity and Viscosity of Aluminum Oxide/Water Nanofluids

Volume: 2026 Number: 2 June 3, 2026

Effect of Surfactant Concentration and Nanoparticle Loading on the Thermal Conductivity and Viscosity of Aluminum Oxide/Water Nanofluids

Abstract

This study experimentally investigates the effects of surfactant concentration and nanoparticle volume fraction on the thermophysical properties of Al₂O₃/water-based nanofluids under ambient conditions. Nanofluids were prepared using a two-step method with three nanoparticle volume fractions (0.01, 0.05, and 0.1 vol.%) and three surfactant amounts (0.05, 0.10, and 0.15 g). Thermal conductivity and dynamic viscosity were measured to evaluate the combined influence of formulation parameters on heat transfer performance and flow behavior. The results showed that thermal conductivity increased with both nanoparticle concentration and surfactant amount, with a maximum enhancement of approximately 4–5% compared to the base fluid. Dynamic viscosity also increased, reaching about 15–20% higher than that of pure water under the same conditions. These findings indicate a clear trade-off between thermal conductivity enhancement and viscosity increase. While higher surfactant concentrations may influence particle distribution within the suspension and contribute to thermal conductivity enhancement, they also lead to increased flow resistance. Therefore, careful optimization of surfactant concentration is required to achieve a balance between improved thermal performance and acceptable viscosity characteristics. This work provides a systematic evaluation of surfactant concentration under ambient conditions and offers useful insight into formulation-oriented nanofluid design.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

No external funding was received for this study.

Ethical Statement

This study does not involve human or animal subjects. Therefore, ethical approval is not required.

Thanks

The authors would like to thank Çankırı Karatekin University for laboratory support.

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Chemical and Thermal Processes in Energy and Combustion

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Ali Rahman Ali Alburgheef This is me
0009-0003-3945-4616
Türkiye

Publication Date

June 3, 2026

Submission Date

March 24, 2026

Acceptance Date

April 28, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 2026 Number: 2

APA
Ali Alburgheef, A. R., & Doruk, S. (2026). Effect of Surfactant Concentration and Nanoparticle Loading on the Thermal Conductivity and Viscosity of Aluminum Oxide/Water Nanofluids. Journal of the Turkish Chemical Society Section B: Chemical Engineering, 2026(2), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.58692/jotcsb.1915490
AMA
1.Ali Alburgheef AR, Doruk S. Effect of Surfactant Concentration and Nanoparticle Loading on the Thermal Conductivity and Viscosity of Aluminum Oxide/Water Nanofluids. JOTCSB. 2026;2026(2):1-8. doi:10.58692/jotcsb.1915490
Chicago
Ali Alburgheef, Ali Rahman, and Semahat Doruk. 2026. “Effect of Surfactant Concentration and Nanoparticle Loading on the Thermal Conductivity and Viscosity of Aluminum Oxide Water Nanofluids”. Journal of the Turkish Chemical Society Section B: Chemical Engineering 2026 (2): 1-8. https://doi.org/10.58692/jotcsb.1915490.
EndNote
Ali Alburgheef AR, Doruk S (June 1, 2026) Effect of Surfactant Concentration and Nanoparticle Loading on the Thermal Conductivity and Viscosity of Aluminum Oxide/Water Nanofluids. Journal of the Turkish Chemical Society Section B: Chemical Engineering 2026 2 1–8.
IEEE
[1]A. R. Ali Alburgheef and S. Doruk, “Effect of Surfactant Concentration and Nanoparticle Loading on the Thermal Conductivity and Viscosity of Aluminum Oxide/Water Nanofluids”, JOTCSB, vol. 2026, no. 2, pp. 1–8, June 2026, doi: 10.58692/jotcsb.1915490.
ISNAD
Ali Alburgheef, Ali Rahman - Doruk, Semahat. “Effect of Surfactant Concentration and Nanoparticle Loading on the Thermal Conductivity and Viscosity of Aluminum Oxide Water Nanofluids”. Journal of the Turkish Chemical Society Section B: Chemical Engineering 2026/2 (June 1, 2026): 1-8. https://doi.org/10.58692/jotcsb.1915490.
JAMA
1.Ali Alburgheef AR, Doruk S. Effect of Surfactant Concentration and Nanoparticle Loading on the Thermal Conductivity and Viscosity of Aluminum Oxide/Water Nanofluids. JOTCSB. 2026;2026:1–8.
MLA
Ali Alburgheef, Ali Rahman, and Semahat Doruk. “Effect of Surfactant Concentration and Nanoparticle Loading on the Thermal Conductivity and Viscosity of Aluminum Oxide Water Nanofluids”. Journal of the Turkish Chemical Society Section B: Chemical Engineering, vol. 2026, no. 2, June 2026, pp. 1-8, doi:10.58692/jotcsb.1915490.
Vancouver
1.Ali Rahman Ali Alburgheef, Semahat Doruk. Effect of Surfactant Concentration and Nanoparticle Loading on the Thermal Conductivity and Viscosity of Aluminum Oxide/Water Nanofluids. JOTCSB. 2026 Jun. 1;2026(2):1-8. doi:10.58692/jotcsb.1915490

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J. Turk. Chem. Soc., Sect. B: Chem. Eng. (JOTCSB)