Recent developments in thermo-physical property enhancement and applications of solid solid phase change materials A review

Phase change materials (PCM) have a potential role in thermal energy storage applications. Recent progress has shown notable work on solid solid phase change materials (SS-PCM) which possess unique advantages of low subcooling, limited volume expansion due to a solid solid phase transition, high thermal stability and also had significant latent heat and thermal conductivity values. This review addresses current research on SS-PCM with the focus on solid solid phase transition mechanisms, properties, thermo-physical property enhancement, and experimental case studies for specific energy storage applications. The mechanism of solid solid phase transition for different classifications of SS-PCM with regards to a phase transition temperature and latent heat has provided in detail. This review also includes information regarding fundamental properties of SS-PCM along with methods for property enhancement, details on binary/ternary mixtures of SS-PCM and hybrid SS-PCMs, which allow altering phase transition temperature and increase thermal conductivity. Finally, the potential use of enhanced SS-PCM are discussed in detail, guiding researchers to select, customize, future scope, and addresses research gap of the SS-PCM for different energy storage applications.