A review of current developments in the use of materials with latent heat phase changes for the storage of thermal energy

Abstract

Phase change materials (PCMs) are popular because they can store and release latent heat for energy saving and thermal management. Despite PCMs' latent heat and melting temperatures variety, their low thermal conductivity (TC) limits their usage. This problem and attempts to overcome the poor heat conductivity of PCMs are discussed in length in this publication. High TC nanoparticles, encapsulation and porous metal foams are solutions for the problem. PCMs may be used to store and release energy in electrical gadgets, photovoltaic panels, desalination solar stills, thermoelectric generators, textiles, air conditioning, battery thermal management, water heating, food packaging and heat exchangers. In this review we discuss the different methods which are being used to increase the thermal conductivity.