In this paper, the authors discuss the preparation of microencapsulated phase change materials (PCMs). The PCMs used in this study were n-hexadecane and n-octadecane, and the shell was made up of poly(urea-formaldehyde). The effect of dispersing silver nanoparticles in the shells on the thermal storage properties of these encapsulated PCMs was also investigated. The enthalpies of fusion of the samples were determined experimentally, as was the thermal conductivity. It ...
The thermal conductivities of paraffin-based composite phase change materials (PCMs) containing different types of graphene nanoparticles were determined using the transient plane source method. It was determined that the thermal conductivity was increased by the addition of the nanoparticles, and the enhancement was greater for composites containing larger, and stiffer nanoparticles....
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 ...
The thermal conductivities of four composite paraffin phase change materials (PCMs) containing embedded multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with varying dimensions were determined. The goals of this study were to investigate the interfacial thermal resistance between two MWCNTs, and to investigate the ballistic and diffusive components of the thermal resistance at the interface. It was found that the thermal conductivity of the composite PCMs increased with the diameter of the MWCNT ...
The potential of graphene and few-layer graphene to be used as fillers in a paraffin wax phase change material (PCM) was evaluated. The goal was to prepare a composite PCM with a higher thermal conductivity than the pure paraffin wax. The ability of the composite PCM to reduce temperature variation in lithium ion batteries was also evaluated over 10 charging – discharging cycles. It was found that ...