Form-stable phase change material using methane-derived carbon scaffold: characterization and performance evaluation

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Phase change materials (PCMs) are promising thermal energy storage solutions, but leakage and low thermal conductivity limit their efficiency and durability. We propose a novel form-stable PCM using a carbon scaffold produced via the thermocatalytic decomposition of methane (TCD). The high surface area (236.97 m 2 /g) and presence of micro-pores of 1.4104 nm in the carbon scaffold facilitate a eutectic PCM (E-PCM) encompassing Myristic Acid (MA) and Polyethylene glycol (PEG) with a molar mass of 2000 g/mol to store solar thermal energy enabling strong heat retention with favorable thermal properties. The optimal form-stable phase change material (FSPCM) achieved a higher E-PCM loading of 79 wt% while retaining 95% of the latent heat after 750 thermal cycles of periodic heating and cooling. The melting/freezing enthalpies of FSPCM (138.0/-111.4 J/g) were lower than those of E-PCM (168.0/-144.81 J/g) due to attenuation effects within the porous carbon. Additionally, FSPCM displayed high thermal and chemical durability after 750 thermal cycles with around 2.6 % variation in melting enthalpy and stable melting temperature. Therefore, FSPCM derived utilizing carbon scaffold and MA-PEG2000 displayed accelerated transient thermal response that is suitable for utilization in moderate temperature thermal energy storage systems.