Dual solutions of a micropolar nanofluid flow with radiative heat mass transfer over stretching/shrinking sheet using spectral quasilinearization method

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on the application of Chebyshev spectral collocation methodology with Gauss Lobatto grid points to micropolar fluid over a stretching or shrinking surface. Radiation, thermophoresis and nanoparticle Brownian motion are considered. The results have attainable scientific and technological applications in systems involving stretchable materials. Design/methodology/approach The model equations governing the flow are transformed into non-linear ordinary differential equations which are then reworked into linear form using the Newton-based quasilinearization method (SQLM). Spectral collocation is then used to solve the resulting linearised system of equations. Findings The validity of the model is established using error analysis. The velocity, temperature, micro-rotation, skin friction and couple stress parameters are conferred diagrammatically and analysed in detail. Originality/value The study obtains numerical explanations for rapidly convergent solutions using the spectral quasilinearization method. Convergence of the numerical solutions was monitored using the residual error analysis. The influence of radiation, heat and mass parameters on the flow are depicted graphically and analysed. The study is an extension on the work by Zheng et al. (2012) and therefore the novelty is that the authors tend to take into account nanoparticles, Brownian motion and thermophoresis in the flow of a micropolar fluid.