Highly Dispersed Two-Dimensional Molybdenum Disulfide Nanofluids for Heat Dissipation Enhancement in High-Power Electronic Chips

The application of nanofluid technology in microchannel flow boiling heat transfer systems represents an effective approach for enhancing the cooling efficiency of electronic devices. However, conventional nanofluids generally suffered from complex preparation processes, insufficient stability, and uncontrollable nanoparticle sizes, etc., which significantly restricted their heat transfer performance. In this study, we successfully synthesized a novel kind of inorganic nanofluid (MoS 2 -PEG-PVP, named as MP nanofluid), based on polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) nanosheets via an ultrasonically fragmenting method and subsequent polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-assisted dispersion, enabling exceptional dispersion stability and remarkably enhanced flow boiling heat transfer performance. Specifically, the formulated nanofluids exhibited excellent stability at 80 °C for over 14 days and under ambient condition for 90 days without aggregation or sedimentation. More importantly, flow boiling experiments demonstrated that the MP nanofluid, at just 5 ppm and 0.13 m/s, boosts the critical heat flux (CHF) by 110 % and the heat transfer coefficient (HTC) by 114 % as compared to the basic fluid, significantly outperforming conventional nanofluids at higher concentrations. Further visualization studies revealed that the enhancement stems from reduced bubble size and a faster growth-to-collapse cycle, which in turn prevents the boiling crisis in electronic chips associated with large bubble coverage. Overall, this research provides novel insights into the application of MoS 2 -based nanofluids in advanced thermal management systems, exhibiting their significant potential for electronic device cooling.