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Fabrication and Thermal properties of graphene nanoplatelet-enhanced phase change materials based on paraffin encapsulated by melamine–formaldehyde

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Abstract

In this study, a series of phase change nanocomposites using microencapsulated phase change material and graphene nanoplatelet (as an additive material) is synthesized to enhance PCM thermal properties. Paraffin as a PCM is encapsulated by melamine–formaldehyde as a shell material via in situ polymerization method. Graphene nanoplatelet as a heat transfer promoter is added among the microencapsulated phase change materials (MPCMs) in different mass fractions to form phase change nanocomposites. By the applied technique, the defect of leakage and the low thermal conductivity of the phase change material can be overcome simultaneously. The experimental measurements show that the thermal conductivity of the PCNs effectively enhances without a significant influence on their phase change enthalpy. The results indicate that when the amount of the graphene nanoplatelets increases, the thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity enhance. By using 10 mass % graphene nanoplatelets in the PCN, the PCN's thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity are raised by 93% and 48%, respectively. The DSC results show that the maximum latent heat of the PCNs is 95.97 J g−1 (PCN with 1 mass % of graphene). However, the maximum difference in the latent heat of PCNs with different graphene percentages is less than 4%. Thermal stability experiments show that the PCNs have a stable structure up to 165 °C without damaging the microcapsule shell. The fabricated PCNs, compared to many previous works, have good thermal properties and low cost which can properly be considered in thermal energy storage and thermal management applications.

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Acknowledgements

Valuable discussions with Rezaee Shirin-Abadi (Associate professor at the Department of Polymer Chemistry and Materials, Shahid Beheshti University), and Ahmad Reza Bahramian (Associate Professor at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University) are kindly acknowledged.

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The authors declare they have no funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Qom University of Technology, 3718146645, Qom, Iran

    Amir Khezri & Mahdi Sahebi

  2. Department of Polymer Engineering, Qom University of Technology, 3718146645, Qom, Iran

    Mohsen Mohammadi

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  1. Amir Khezri
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  2. Mahdi Sahebi
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Correspondence to Mahdi Sahebi.

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Khezri, A., Sahebi, M. & Mohammadi, M. Fabrication and Thermal properties of graphene nanoplatelet-enhanced phase change materials based on paraffin encapsulated by melamine–formaldehyde. J Therm Anal Calorim 147, 7683–7691 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-021-11085-7

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