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Modified sepiolite stabilized stearic acid as a form-stable phase change material for thermal energy storage

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Abstract

Sepiolite (ST) was used as a supporting matrix in compiste phase change materials (PCMs) due to its unique microstructure, good thermal stability, and other raw material advantages. In this paper, microwave acid treatment were innovatively used for the modification of sepiolite. The modified sepiolite (STm) obtained in different hydrochloric acid concentrations (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0 mol·L−1) was added to stearic acid (SA) via vacuum impregnation method. The thermophysical properties of the composites were changed by varying the hydrochloric acid concentration. The SA-STm0.5 obtained by microwave acid treatment at 0.5 mol·L−1 hydrochloric acid concentration showed a higher loading capacity (82.63%) than other composites according to the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) analysis. The melting and freezing enthalpies of SA-STm0.5 were of 152.30 and 148.90 J·g−1, respectively. The thermal conductivity of SA-STm0.5 was as high as 1.52 times that of pure SA. In addition, the crystal structure, surface morphology, and microporous structure of STm were studied, and the mechanism of SA-STm0.5 performance enhancement was further revealed by Brunauere Emmett Teller (BET) analysis. Leakage experiment showed that SA-STm0.5 had a good morphological stability. These results demostrate that SA-STm0.5 has a potential application in thermal energy storage.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52274252), the Special Fund for the Construction of Innovative Provinces in Hunan Province, China (Nos. 2020RC3038 and 2022WK 4004), and the Changsha City Fund for Distinguished and Innovative Young Scholars, China (No. kq1802007).

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  1. Key Laboratory of Renewable Energy Electric-Technology of Hunan Province, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha, 410114, China

    Chuanchang Li, Xinke Peng, Jianjun He & Jian Chen

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  1. Chuanchang Li
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  2. Xinke Peng
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Correspondence to Chuanchang Li.

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Chuanchang Li is a youth editorial board member for IJMMM and was not involved in the editorial review or the decision to publish this article. All authors confirm that they have no competing interests or financial ties that could influence the outcomes or interpretation of this research.

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Li, C., Peng, X., He, J. et al. Modified sepiolite stabilized stearic acid as a form-stable phase change material for thermal energy storage. Int J Miner Metall Mater 30, 1835–1845 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-023-2627-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-023-2627-4

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