Exploring anomalous diffusion in ternary nanofluids: a Maxwell model incorporating viscous dissipation and Nield boundary bioconvection

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of double diffusion in a Maxwell ternary nanofluid flow, incorporating the effects of internal friction dissipation and resistive heating over a stretched sheet with Nield boundary conditions. The study also addresses the role of activation energy and thermal radiation. This study investigates the impact of utilizing a combination of three nanofluids in contrast to the use of a single nanofluid. In this experiment, the base fluid is water, whereas copper \(\left( {{\text{Cu}}} \right)\), titanium oxide \(\left( {{\text{TiO}}_{2} } \right)\), and aluminium oxide \(\left( {{\text{Al}}_{{2}} {\text{O}}_{{3}} } \right)\) make up the ternary hybrid nanofluid. Following the similarity transformation, the partial differential equations were transformed into ordinary differential equations. Analytical solutions were obtained using the perturbation method. The findings demonstrate that the triple nanofluid outperforms the single nanofluid by enhancing both temperature and velocity. However, the inclusion of multiple nanoparticles may lead to increased viscosity of the base fluid, depending on particle concentration. While higher viscosity could raise the pumping power required in fluid systems, it may also enhance heat transfer due to greater interaction between the nanoparticles and the fluid. Results reveal that the inclusion of viscous dissipation significantly alters heat transfer characteristics, while bioconvection driven by microorganisms enhances mass transport and stability. The study further demonstrates how Nield boundary conditions regulate the interaction between heat and mass transfer mechanisms. These findings provide a deeper understanding of anomalous diffusion phenomena in complex fluids, offering potential applications in energy systems, biomedical technologies, and advanced material processing.