An overview of the preparation and characteristics of phase change materials with nanomaterials

Abstract

World over, research inventions have spiraled around sustainable energy solutions including the advent of phase change material based thermal energy storage systems. The application of these systems in thermo-regulating systems such as refrigeration, air conditioning, personal thermal comfort, building and construction, has been widely accepted. Most current focuses are on the topical reads of the enhancements of the phase change materials for optimized performance in thermal energy storage mechanisms. Recent publications have persistently suggested the use of nanoparticles to solve the phase change materials' low thermal-conductivity, supercooling, leakage, phase segregation and inflammability problems amongst others. This has not only shown promise of improved heat transfer and phase transition performance but also, reduced charging time and phase transition temperatures amongst many other benefits with limited distortion of other material properties. However, the process of preparing the nano-enhanced phase change material s is highly technical, requiring special equipment and precise procedures. Many studies indicated significant improvement in the phase change materials' thermal and mechanical properties when the nanomaterials were added, but some works also highlighted that the enhancement also came with a diminishing effect on the latent heat storage capacity of the phase change material. It is against these premises, that this current study does not only aim to give a detailed review of present-day advancements of nano-enhanced - phase change material but, also seeks to show how a homogenous mixture of nano-enhanced phase change material can be prepared and present the impacts of such material.