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Application of 1-Decanol Loaded in Silica Aerogel and Expanded Graphite Composite Phase Change Materials in Cold Chain Transport Portable Boxes

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Abstract

Phase change materials (PCMs) offer efficient solutions for energy sustainability. Here, we used 1-decanol, expanded graphite (EG) with high thermal conductivity, and silica aerogel (SA), which is often used for thermal insulation protection, to prepare composite PCMs (EG-PCM and SA-PCM) with stable shape through the vacuum absorption method. The leakage rate test after heat treatment determined the optimum contents of EG and SA in the composite PCMs to be 9 and 14 wt.%, respectively. Even after 220 heating/cooling cycles, the fabricated composite PCMs still maintain good thermal stability. The thermal conductivity enhancement of EG-PCM and SA-PCM to 16.09 times and 1.21 times of the neat PCM, respectively. Moreover, we tested the prepared two composite PCMs by yogurt preservation experiments in a cold chain transport portable box, which proved that they could effectively maintain the temperature and acidity of yogurt for several hours without any cooling system. Based on these results, EG-PCM and SA-PCM have broad application prospects in cold chain transport of temperature-sensitive products such as food, medicine, and vaccine.

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Abbreviations

L :

Leakage rate (%)

M 0 :

Mass before heat treatment (g)

M 1 :

Mass after heat treatment (g)

T m :

Melting temperature (°C)

T f :

Freezing temperature (°C)

ΔH m :

Melting latent heat (J g−1)

ΔH f :

Freezing latent heat (J g−1)

PCM:

Phase change material

EG:

Expanded graphite

SA:

Silica aerogel

EG-PCM:

Expanded graphite/1-decanol composite PCMs

SA-PCM:

Silica aerogel/1-decanol composite PCMs

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Acknowledgment

This research was supported by the Ministry of Education (Singapore) through the Research Centre of Excellence program (Award EDUN C-33-18-279-V12, Institute for Functional Intelligent Materials), China High-end foreign expert program (G2022035007L),  National Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing (2022NSCQ-MSX1165). KSN is grateful to the Royal Society (UK, grant number RSRP\R\190000) for support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chongqing Zonjo Reclaimed Resources Development Co., Ltd., Chongqing, 401122, China

    Qin Qin, DaWa Zhaxi, Xianyong Chen, Kefan Chen, Shuai Yang & Hao Tian

  2. Chongqing 2D Material Institute, Liangjiang New Area, Chongqing, 400044, China

    Qin Qin, Weiqi Cao, Daria V. Andreeva, Majid Shaker, Zhan Jin & Kostya S. Novoselov

  3. Institute for Functional Intelligent Materials, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Daria V. Andreeva & Kostya S. Novoselov

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  1. Qin Qin
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Qin, Q., Cao, W., Zhaxi, D. et al. Application of 1-Decanol Loaded in Silica Aerogel and Expanded Graphite Composite Phase Change Materials in Cold Chain Transport Portable Boxes. J. of Materi Eng and Perform (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-023-08301-w

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