Four different paraffin-based nanocomposite phase change materials (PCMs) were prepared by dispersion of 20 v. % of graphene, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), aluminum, or TiO2 nanoparticles into a paraffin matrix. It was found that the two carbon-based nanoparticles reduced the time required for melting and solidification of the PCM by a greater amount than the two other nanoparticles. The graphene-paraffin PCM was found to reduce the melt and re-solidification time by the ...
A composite phase change material (PCM) was formulated from commercial blended paraffin and a styrene-butadiene-styrene block. The thermo-physical properties of this composite PCM were then evaluated using the transient plane source method and differential scanning calorimetry. It was determined that there was a significant difference in the thermal conductivity of the PCM in the solid state when compared to that in the liquid state. The second part of this study ...
In this paper, researchers investigated the effects of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), on the thermal conductivity and phase change enthalpy of palmitic acid (PA), a solid to liquid phase change material. The research concluded that as the concentration of MWNTs is increased, the thermal conductivity of the composite increases, compared to that of PA alone. Also in this study, researchers investigated the effects of various MWNTs surface modifications, on the ...