  Nanofluids are suspensions of nanoparticles and fibers which have recently
attracted much attention due to their superior thermal properties. Here,
nanofluids are studied in the sense of nanofins transversally attached to a
surface, so that dispersion within a fluid is mainly dictated by design and
manufacturing processes. We focus on single carbon nanotubes thought as
nanofins to enhance heat transfer between a surface and a fluid in contact with
it. To this end, we first investigate the thermal conductivity of those
nanostructures by means of classical non-equilibrium molecular dynamics
simulations. Next, thermal conductance at the interface between a single wall
carbon nanotube (nanofin) and water molecules is assessed by means of both
steady-state and transient numerical experiments. Numerical evidences suggest a
pretty favorable thermal boundary conductance (order of $10^{-7}$ $[W m^{-2}
K^{-1}]$) which makes carbon nanotubes ideal candidates for constructing
nanofinned surfaces.
