Thermal and hydrodynamic analysis of MHD squeezing flow of tri-hybrid nanofluid with Cattaneo–Christov heat flux via finite difference method

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the unsteady magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) squeezing flow and heat transfer characteristics of a tri-hybrid nanofluid (T-HNF) composed of SWCNT–MWCNT–Fe3O4 nanoparticles dispersed in water. The analysis emphasizes the combined effects of morphological nanolayers, magnetic field, squeezing dynamics and non-Fourier heat conduction modeled through the Cattaneo–Christov (C–C) heat flux. The work aims to enhance thermal transport understanding in advanced thermofluid systems operating under strong magnetic and transient boundary conditions. Design/methodology/approach A two-dimensional unsteady squeezing flow model between parallel plates is formulated for a T-HNF under a transverse magnetic field. Morphological nanolayer effects are incorporated into the thermophysical properties, while thermal transport is modeled using the C–C heat flux theory. Similarity transformations convert the governing equations into dimensionless nonlinear partial differential equations. The resulting system is solved numerically using a finite difference method, and parametric studies are conducted to assess velocity and temperature distributions. Findings The numerical results indicate that increasing nanolayer thickness and nanoparticle volume fraction significantly enhance thermal transport, resulting in higher temperature distributions and improved heat diffusion within the squeezing channel. Stronger squeezing intensity increases velocity magnitudes and skin-friction coefficients, indicating increased momentum transport. In contrast, increasing magnetic field strength suppresses fluid velocity due to the Lorentz force, thereby controlling flow structure. The C–C thermal relaxation parameter reduces thermal diffusion rates and delays heat propagation, thereby highlighting non-Fourier heat-transfer behavior. Overall, the T-HNF configuration exhibits markedly improved heat-transfer performance relative to conventional fluids under combined magnetic and squeezing effects. Originality/value This study presents a novel integration of tri-hybrid nanoparticles, morphological nanolayer modeling and C–C non-Fourier heat conduction in an unsteady MHD squeezing flow framework. The simultaneous consideration of these effects has not been previously reported. The findings provide valuable physical insights and a robust numerical framework for designing high-performance thermal systems, such as microfluidic devices, magnetic cooling technologies and biomedical heat transfer applications.