Efficient phase change energy storage materials

Are phase change materials suitable for thermal energy storage?

Phase change materials (PCMs) having a large latent heat during solid-liquid phase transition are promising for thermal energy storage applications. However, the relatively low thermal conductivity of the majority of promising PCMs (<10 W/ (m ⋅ K)) limits the power density and overall storage efficiency.

What are phase change materials (PCMs)?

Scientific Reports 13, Article number: 18936 (2023) Cite this article Phase change materials (PCMs) are an important class of innovative materials that considerably contribute to the effective use and conservation of solar energy and wasted heat in thermal energy storage systems (TES).

What is solar-thermal storage with phase-change material (PCM)?

Nature Communications 14, Article number: 3456 (2023) Cite this article Solar-thermal storage with phase-change material (PCM) plays an important role in solar energy utilization. However, most PCMs own low thermal conductivity which restricts the thermal charging rate in bulk samples and leads to low solar-thermal conversion efficiency.

Can phase change materials mitigate intermittency issues of wind and solar energy?

Article link copied! Thermal energy storage technologies utilizing phase change materials (PCMs) that melt in the intermediate temperature range, between 100 and 220 °C, have the potential to mitigate the intermittency issues of wind and solar energy.

What is STES technology based on phase change materials (PCMs)?

The STES technology based on phase change materials (PCMs) is especially studied owing to low cost, high volumetric energy storage density, and relatively stable phase transition temperature range 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Usually, solar-to-thermal conversion and thermal transport process are involved in STES technology.

What is a phase change material?

A phase change material (PCMs) is a substance that undergoes a phase transition (change in its physical state) from a solid to a liquid or from a liquid to a solid at a specific temperature, often referred to as its melting point or freezing point 2, 3, 4.