From concept to application. A new phase change material for thermal protection at -11 °C

Molecular Alloys as Phase Change Materials (MAPCM) offer opportunities in the fields of energy storage and thermal protection, where the classic Phase Change Materials (PCM) don't exist or they are difficult to find. The MAPCM's are thermo-adjustable materials by means of their composition. The present paper is on the design of a MAPCM to be used for thermal protection at -11 °C. We show how fundamental studies are helpful to choose the right composition that is able to work at the temperature required for an application. Several molecular alloys among n-alkanes were elaborated and characterized. Finally, a multicomponent molecular alloy is proposed and tested in a double wall prototype, for thermal protection of ice cream or other kinds of product around -11 °C. As result, we propose a prototype that it is effective for more than 4 hours and 30 minutes in an external environmental temperature of 20 °C.