Silicon carbide in thermal energy storage: A two-decade review (2005–2025)

Silicon carbide (SiC) has emerged as a multifunctional material for thermal energy storage (TES) systems due to its high thermal conductivity, high-temperature stability, and mechanical resilience. Despite keen interest in SiC-based TES research, no review has been conducted to evaluate its evolution, thematic structure, and critical advances. This study addresses that gap through an integrated bibliometric and qualitative analysis of SiC-based TES research published between 2005 and 2025. Data were retrieved from the Scopus database, yielding 197 eligible documents after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Bibliometric analyses were conducted using the Bibliometrix package in RStudio to examine publication trends, geographical contributions, keyword co-occurrences, thematic evolution, and factorial analysis. In addition, a qualitative synthesis of 78 selected papers provided contextual depth to the bibliometric findings. The results show a rapid growth phase in research publications from 2018, peaking in 2022–2023. China (46.0%) is the major contributor, followed by Japan (7.6%) and the United States (7.2%). However, research contributions from Africa and Latin America are limited. The major thematic clusters identified include a solar thermal mainstream, a materials characterisation domain, and an emerging power electronics niche. The qualitative findings confirm that SiC enhances thermal conductivity in phase change material composites and provides structural integrity in thermochemical and sensible heat storage systems. However, persistent challenges include performance trade-offs, corrosion at higher temperatures, and limited long-term cycling validation. The study identified critical research gaps and recommended future directions to advance SiC-based TES toward commercial deployment.