Preparation and performance of shape stabilized phase change thermal storage materials with high thermal conductivity

By composing paraffin with a thermoplastic elastomer poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene), shape stabilized phase change materials (PCMs), which can keep the same shape in a solid state even when the temperature of the PCMs is over the melting point of the paraffin, were made The shape stabilized PCMs exhibit the same phase transition characteristics as paraffin and up to 80% of the latent heat of paraffin. The thermal conductivity of the shape stabilized PCM is increased significantly by introducing expanded graphite. The time for complete solidification and complete melting of the composite P(80)/S(20)/EG*(3) is two-ninths and two-fifths that of paraffin, respectively. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.