Unzipped multiwalled carbon nanotube oxide / PEG based phase change composite for latent heat energy storage

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a phase change material (PCM) is being explored for latent heat energy storage systems due to its high thermal storage capacity. In the current study, PCM composites were synthesized with different mass fractions of unzipped multiwalled carbon nanotube oxides (UMCNOs) in PEG by melt mixing method. The influence of UMCNOs loading on the thermal conductivity (TC), phase change properties such as temperatures and latent heats of melting and solidifying, thermal energy storage and release rates were investigated. At a loading of 6 mass% of UMCNOs, the TC of the prepared PCM composite increased by 2.1 times as compared to that of pure PEG (0.21 W/m-K). Differential scanning calorimetry analysis showed that as the concentration of UMCNOs increased, there was a slight decrease in the melting temperature. Additionally, the latent heats of melting were found to be reduced by 1.11-9.46 % with the addition of 0.5-6 mass% UMCNOs. Further, the thermal energy storage and release rates were improved with the addition of UMCNOs in PCM composites. In addition, there was negligible change in phase change properties after 100 melting and solidifying cycles of PCM composite, indicating the great prospects for the latent heat energy storage application.

Automated summary

This study synthesized PCM composites with UMCNOs and PEG through melt mixing method, and investigated the effects of UMCNOs loading on their properties. The results showed that the addition of UMCNOs can significantly enhance the thermal conductivity and thermal energy storage and release rates of the PCM composites, with negligible impact on phase change properties. This suggests great prospects for latent heat energy storage applications.