Preparation and thermal properties of organic phase change energy storage materials

Abstract

By integrating lauric acid and palmitic acid as base materials and adding coke powder as a thermal conductivity enhancer, this study aims to develop efficient organic phase change energy storage materials and comprehensively evaluate their thermal properties. The thermal conductivity of the material was optimized by using a melt mixing process and adjusting the coke powder ratio. The thermal stability and thermogravimetric characteristics of the material were analyzed in detail using differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) techniques. In addition, the selection of nucleating agents and the influence of the ratio of lauric acid to palmitic acid on the supercooling phenomenon of materials were also explored. The thermal stability of the material was further verified through multiple thermal cycling tests. The research results indicate that the material with a 15% coke powder content has the best thermal conductivity and exhibits good thermal stability. Under the condition of adding 1% sodium hexametaphosphate as a nucleating agent and a ratio of lauric acid to palmitic acid of 8:2, the supercooling problem of the material was effectively solved. After 100 thermal cycles, the thermal performance of the material remains stable, demonstrating its enormous potential as a long-term energy storage material.