An experimental study was carried out to investigate the effects of aqueous CuO nanofluids on thermal performance of a horizontal mesh heat pipe working at steady sub-atmospheric pressures. The nanofluid was composed of deionized water and CuO nanoparticles with an average diameter of 50 nm. The experimental results show that adding CuO nanoparticles into deionized water can significantly enhance heat transfer coefficients of both evaporator and condenser, and the maximum heat flux of the heat pipe. There is an optimal mass concentration of nanoparticles corresponding to the maximum heat transfer enhancement. The operating pressure has an apparent impact on both the evaporating and condensing heat transfer enhancements. The heat transfer enhancement effects increase distinctly with the decrease of the pressure. The present investigation discovers that the thermal performance of a mesh heat pipe can be evidently strengthened by substituting CuO nanofluids for deionized water under sub-atmospheric pressures. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.