A new term in chemical engineering: IoNanofluid

The term IoNanofluid has been applied to designate an ionic liquid that contains small quantities of dispersed nanomaterials such as multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) [1]. IoNanofluids are of interest in the design of advanced liquid coolants and heat transfer fluids. Thermal conductivity and heat storage capacity of conventionally used liquids is poor. Systems resulting from combination of ionic liquids—many of which are thermally stable, nonflammable and nonvolatile under ambient conditions—and nanomaterials (metal nanoparticles or carbon nanotubes) are currently investigated as nanofluids, in which the thermal conductivity is much higher than in the pure liquid.

Thermodynamic properties and related information of some ionic liquid candidates for future IoNanofluids are available in publications that have been included in the ThermoML Archive; for example:

• 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate
  ([C₆mim][BF₄], CASRN: 244193-50-8)
• 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate
  ([C₄mim][PF₆], CASRN: 174501-64-5)
• 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate
  ([C₆mim][PF₆], CASRN: 304680-35-1)
• 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate
  ([C₄mim][CF₃SO₃], CASRN: 174899-66-2)
• 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide
  ([C₄mpyrr][NTf₂], CASRN: 223437-11-4)
  

Reference
[1] C. A. Nieto de Castro, M. J. V. Lourenço, A. P. C. Ribeiro, E. Langa, S. I. C. Vieira, P. Goodrich and C. Hardacre: Thermal Properties of Ionic Liquids and IoNanofluids of Imidazolium and Pyrrolidinium Liquids. J. Chem. Eng. Data 2010, 55 (2), pp. 653-661. DOI: 10.1021/je900648p.