Over the last decade, numerous investigations have been carried out using engineered colloidal fluids called nanofluids in pool boiling for the enhancement of critical heat flux (CHF) which is otherwise limited by the use of base fluids. Though there are contradicting results in CHF enhancement, almost all the researchers identified that there is an enhancement in CHF by the addition of nanoparticles (1-100 nm size) with base fluid. The deposition of nanoparticles on the heater surface during boiling of nanofluids is the major factor for the enhancement of CHF. In fact, the CHF enhancement results are influenced by the various parameters such as size of nanoparticles, method of preparation of nanofluids, and its concentration. This article reviews in detail the various factors for the enhancement of CHF and provides further research direction which helps the readers to understand the pool boiling heat transfer in a better way. Also, the mechanisms of CHF enhancement by exploring various boiling heat transfer theories have been addressed. © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS.