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Plasmonic optical tweezers that stem from the need to trap and manipulate ever smaller particles using non-invasive optical forces, have made significant contributions to precise particle motion control at the nanoscale. In addition to the optical forces, other effects have been explored for particle manipulation. For instance, the plasmonic heat delivery mechanism generates micro- and nanoscale optothermal hydrodynamic effects, such as natural fluid convection, Marangoni fluid convection and thermophoretic effects that influence the motion of a wide range of particles from dielectric to biomolecules. In this review, a discussion of optothermal effects generated by heated plasmonic nanostructures is presented with a specific focus on applications to optical trapping and particle manipulation. It provides a discussion on the existing challenges of optothermal mechanisms generated by plasmonic optical tweezers and comments on their future opportunities in life sciences.

Nowadays, Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is one of the most promising technologies analyzed for electrical power generation from low-temperature heat such as renewable energy sources (RES), especially solar energy. Because of the solar source variation throughout the day, additional Thermal Energy Storage (TES) systems can be employed to store the energy surplus saved during the daytime, in order to use it at nighttime or when meteorological conditions are adverse. In this context, latent heat stored in phase-change transition by Phase Change Materials (PCM) allows them to stock larger amounts of energy because of the larger latent energy values as compared to the specific heat capacity. In this study, a thermal analysis of a square PCM for a solar ORC is carried out, considering four different boundary conditions that refer to different situations. Furthermore, differences in including or not natural convection effects in the model are shown. Governing equations for the PCM are written with references to the heat capacity method and solved with a finite element scheme. Experimental data from literature are employed to simulate the solar source using a time-variable temperature boundary condition. Results are presented in terms of temperature profiles, stored energy, velocity fields and melting fraction, showing that natural convection effects are remarkable on the temperature values and consequently on the stored energy achieved.

Birnessite recharging processes in neutral (sodium sulfate) and alkaline (sodium hydroxide) solutions are compared. Birnessite is fabricated by cathodic deposition from alkaline permanganate bath on smooth carbon supports. The hypothesis is formulated and verified concerning the reason of much wider potential interval available for birnessite recharging in neutral solutions as compared to alkaline. Namely, an apparent width of this interval observed in neutral solutions is found to depend on birnessite loading and convection in solution. These observations can be explained by the changes of local pH in the course of recharging in neutral medium: seeming extension of the potential window results from the screened shift of the onset(s) of pH-dependent irreversible process(es). The effects of cathodic and anodic potential limits on birnessite recharging are addressed systematically. The total charges corresponding to reversible birnessite behavior in neutral (Na 2 SO 4 ) and alkaline (NaOH) solutions are found to be very close, despite the potential interval is apparently wider for the former solution. The advantages and risks of recharging in neutral media are considered. Graphical abstract

Even after more than 20 years of research, establishment of a nanofluid thermal conductivity enhancement mechanism is impeded by differences in research results among researchers. Thermal conductivity measurement results may differ considerably depending on the selection of the temperature history range used to estimate thermal conductivity. This range should be selected carefully considering factors such as the hot wire specifications and the applied heat, but comparisons between researchers’ choices have rarely been reported. To resolve this problem, herein we present an algorithm that estimates test fluid thermal conductivity based upon the inputs of various hot wire specifications, wire resistance history, and applied voltage. We confirm that the proposed algorithm gives more accurate and precise results comparing with the cases of selecting the range based on solely on the determination coefficient R 2 and is effective in eliminating data affected by the errors. The proposed method for fluid thermal conductivity measurement is robust to differences in measurement conditions including operator skill level, applied voltage, and hot wire specifications. It is expected that the discrepancies noted across the results of different research groups would be greatly reduced by adopting the proposed method.

We study a family of 3D models for the incompressible axisymmetric Euler and Navier–Stokes equations. The models are derived by changing the strength of the convection terms in the equations written using a set of transformed variables. The models share several regularity results with the Euler and Navier–Stokes equations, including an energy identity, the conservation of a modified circulation quantity, the BKM criterion and the Prodi–Serrin criterion. The inviscid models with weak convection are numerically observed to develop stable self-similar singularity with the singular region traveling along the symmetric axis, and such singularity scenario does not seem to persist for strong convection.

The radiation and thermal diffusion effects on mixed convection flow of couple stress fluid through a channel are investigated. The governing non-linear partial differential equations are transformed into a system of ordinary differential equations using similarity transformations. The resulting equations are then solved using the Spectral Quasi-linearization Method (QLM). The results, which are discussed with the aid of the dimensionless parameters entering the problem, are seen to depend sensitively on the parameters.

The objective of this research is to investigate the effects of gravity on the ignition and the combustion characteristics of the Polyethylene (PE) film by outer heating. Combustion experiments of PE film were carried out in a normal gravity field and the microgravity field. In the microgravity experiments, it was carried out in 50 m-class drop facility. Here it can be realized 10− 4G microgravity field in about 2.5-3.0 second. The PE film is heated by the inserted high-temperature chamber. In the experiments, the PE was used film type. The chamber temperature was fixed at 900 K and 1000 K. In the case of microgravity field, the ignition delay period has become about 50 percent shorter than that in the case of the normal gravitational field. In the normal gravity field, since the PE surface layer is cooled by natural convection, the ignition delay period is considered to be longer than that in the microgravity field. The combustion time in the normal gravity was about 0.8 sec. In the microgravity field, the combustion time was more than 2 sec, and it could not be measured during the free fall period.

Concerning the geometrical effect of inner cylindrical hot pins, the natural convective heat transfer of nanofluid in a homogenous porous medium in a squared enclosure is numerically studied, using lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). In order to investigate the arrangement of inner cylinders for better heat transfer performance, five different configurations (including one, three, and four pins) were compared, while the total heat transfer area of inner pins were held fixed. Squared cavity walls and inner cylinder’s surfaces were constantly held at cold and warm temperatures, respectively. In our simulation, Brinkman and Forchheimer-extended Darcy models were utilized for isothermal incompressible flow in porous media. The flow and temperature fields were simulated using coupled flow and temperature distribution functions. The effect of porous media was added as a source term in flow distribution functions. The results were validated using previous creditable data, showing relatively good agreements. After brief study of copper nano-particles volume fraction effects, five cases of interest were compared for different values of porosity and Rayleigh number by means of averaged Nusselt number of hot and cold walls; and also local Nusselt number of enclosure walls. Comparison of different cases shows the geometrical dependence of overall heat transfer performance via the average Nusselt number of hot pins strongly depending on their position. The four pin case with diamond arrangement shows the best performance in the light of enclosure walls’ average Nusselt number (heat transfer to cold walls). However, the case with three pins and downward triangular arrangement surprisingly gives promising heat transfer performance. In addition, the results show that natural convective heat transfer and flow field is intensified with increasing Rayleigh number, Darcy number, and porosity.

The thermal-diffusion and diffusion-thermo effects on heat and mass transfer by transient free convection flow of over an impulsively started isothermal vertical plate embedded in a saturated porous medium were numerically investigated, considering a homogeneous chemical reaction of first order. The transient, nonlinear and coupled governing equations are solved using an implicit finite-difference scheme. The effects of various parameters on the transient velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles as well as heat and mass transfer rates are analyzed. Numerical results for the unsteady-state velocity, temperature and concentration profiles as well as the axial distributions and the time histories of the skin-friction coefficient, Nusselt number and the Sherwood number are presented graphically and discussed.

A modified model considering effects of density as well as conductivity of nanoparticles is used to investigate the instability of a binary nanofluid layer. It is assumed that volume fraction of nanoparticles is small and remains constant at the initial state which leads to very interesting and useful results. The perturbed equations so found are analyzed using normal modes and weighted residual method. It is found that oscillatory motions are not possible and instability is invariably through stationary mode. After solving the problem analytically, numerical solutions are found for metallic (aluminium, copper, silver, iron) and non-metallic (alumina, silica, titanium oxide, copper oxide) nanoparticles using the software Mathematica. The effects of size of nanoparticles, difference in solute concentration, volume fraction of nanoparticles, difference in temperature, conductivity and density of nanoparticles are studied on the onset of convection. The increase in density of nanoparticles destabilizes the fluid layer system where as increase in conductivity stabilizes the same. Lower density of aluminium makes it more stable than other nanoparticles in spite of having its lower conductivity. Metals are largely more stable than non-metals.