Preparation and Properties of Paraffin/Activated Carbon Composites as Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage

Abstract

Paraffin/activated carbon composites as phase change energy storage materials were prepared by absorbing paraffin into activated carbon. In composite materials, paraffin was used as phase change material (PCM) for thermal energy storage, and activated carbon acted as supporting material, ethanol was the solvent. A series of characterization were conducted to analyse and test the performance of the composite materials, and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) results showed that the PCM-2 composite has the melting latent heat of 51.7 kJ/kg with melting temperature of 60.4°C. Due to the capillary and surface tension forces between paraffin and activated carbon, the leakage of melted paraffin from the composites can be prevented. In a word, the paraffin/activated carbon composites have a good thermal stability and can be used repeatedly.