Novel composite phase change materials supported by oriented carbon fibers for solar thermal energy conversion and storage

Pengfei Zhang, Yilin Wang, Yu Qiu, Hongjie Yan, Zhaolong Wang and Qing Li

Applied Energy, 2024, vol. 358, issue C, No S0306261923019104

Abstract: Phase change materials (PCMs) have aroused significant interest as promising materials for solar thermal energy conversion and storage. However, the long-standing shortcomings of liquid leakage, low thermal conductivity, and weak solar absorptance limit their practical applications. Herein, novel composite phase change materials (CPCMs) with anisotropic heat conduction are manufactured by mixing continuous carbon fibers (CFs) and palmitic acid (PA)/olefin block copolymer (OBC) mixtures using pressure induction and vacuum treatment. Because the oriented CFs in the vertical direction can offer heat transfer channels inside the composites, the vertical and horizontal thermal conductivities of the CPCMs are 5.84 W·K−1·m−1 and 1.34 W·K−1·m−1, respectively, resulting in a relatively high anisotropic degree of 4.36. Furthermore, to improve the absorption of solar radiation for the composite, carbon black is applied to the upper surface of the CPCMs, achieving a high total solar absorptance of 0.966. Due to the combination of the high solar absorptance of the carbon black and the high vertical thermal conductivity within the composites, the CPCMs exhibit outstanding solar-to-thermal efficiencies of 87.54% ∼ 95.08% at 1– 3 kW·m−2. In addition, stability testing also confirms that the CPCMs have excellent leakage-proof properties, thermal stability, and cyclic stability for long-term utilization. This work can provide an efficient route to synthesize high-performance CPCMs for solar thermal applications.

Keywords: Oriented carbon fiber; Composite phase change material; Anisotropic thermal conductivity; Solar-to-thermal efficiency (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2023.122546

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