Development of flexible form-stable phase change material with enhanced electrical resistance for thermal management

Abstract

Phase change materials (PCMs) have great potential in the field of passive thermal management due to their high latent heat and approximately constant temperature property during phase transition. In this paper, a novel AlN-enhanced OBC/PA/EG composite is proposed. Here, olefin block copolymer (OBC) as a supporting matrix not only prevents the leakage of liquid paraffin (PA) but also endows thermally-induced flexibility to the composite phase change material (CPCM). The effects of various aluminum nitride (AlN) additives content on the thermal conductivity and phase transition enthalpy of CPCM are investigated. The results indicate that the addition of AlN can greatly enhance the thermal conductivity and insulating property of CPCM. Besides, the morphology structure, chemical compatibility, thermal properties of prepared CPCM are systematically analyzed by SEM XRD, DSC, and TGA. Then, in the heat storage and release experiment ranged from 0 to 80 °C, the CPCM containing 10, 20, and 30 wt% AlN can reduce the heating time by 30.3, 36.6, and 40.1% than without AlN, respectively. Finally, the effect of CPCM on battery thermal management system (BTMS) is investigated in five discharge-charge cycles. The results presented in this paper imply the novel composite PCMs are potential candidates for energy storage and thermal management system.