Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology

Biography

Biography: Pedro Gómez-Romero

Abstract

Nanofluids are homogeneous dispersions of nanoparticles in conventional base fluids which constitute an emerging type of unique liquid materials within the field of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. They have been proposed and used for a variety of applications with very special emphasis on thermal properties and heat-transfer applications. Indeed, solids present better thermal conductivity and specific heat capacities than liquids but dispersing solid micro particles in fluids leads to clogging, a problem which is solved with nanoparticles. On the other hand, other energy-related applications are possible for nanofluids which have not been explored until very recently. In our group we are developing two different research lines dealing with nanofluids i) nanofluids for thermal applications and ii) Electroactive Nanofluids (ENFs) for energy storage in novel flow cells. The latter type includes a wide variety of nanofluids containing nanoparticles able to store electrical energy, whether through redox or capacitive mechanisms. We will present an overview of the use of nanofluids in the field of energy, from thermal to electroactive nanofluids with some final focus on our own recent results, including the first example of the application of ENF materials for the development of fast energy storage in flow cells. In this case, we have used a capacitive nanofluid based on graphene which would be the flow-cell analog of solid-electrode graphene supercapacitors.