Production of ternary organic phase change material combined with expanded graphite and its application in cold chain transportation

Abstract

Based on the temperature range of medical and food logistics (0 ∼ 8℃), Developed a cold storage material consisting of tetradecane, capric acid, and dodecanol, known as tetradecane-dodecanol-decanoic acid material (TDDA). The latent heat transition temperature and thermal conductivity of the resulting TDDA were determined as 258.3 J/g, 1.1 °C, and 0.201 W/(m·K), respectively. TDDA/EG was then obtained by adding expanded graphite (EG) to improve thermal conductivity and prevent leakage. The resulting TDDA/EG exhibited excellent cycling stability after 500 thermal cycles. The temperature change of vaccines in the cold storage box was analyzed through simulated body fluid cold storage box experiments. The average cold preservation time in the cold storage box with TDDA/EG material lasted 37.8 h, a value 50.4-fold higher than that of the cold box without TDDA. Overall, TDDA/EG phase change cold storage materials have good application prospects for temperature-sensitive products in cold chain logistics, such as vaccines.