Prediction of the optical properties of TiO₂ suspension by coupling the classical particle agglomeration model with the discrete dipole approximation algorithm and experimental verification

Nanofluids are widely used in the field of energy and environment. However, the optical properties of such multiphase suspension are quite complex. Even for the well-studied TiO₂ suspension, theoretical investigation of its optical parameters is quite rare, which remarkably restricts the extension of their application especially in the field of solar energy and optofluidics. Therefore, in this paper, the optical properties of TiO₂ suspension were studied by coupling the classical particle agglomeration model and the discrete dipole approximation algorithm. The absorption and scattering coefficients of TiO₂ aqueous suspension have been calculated and verified by experimental results. The effects of cluster compactness, size and other factors on the phase function were analyzed. Our work can also provide a reference for the study of optical properties of other nanofluids.