Enhancing the thermal conductivity and shape stability of phase-change composites using diatomite and graphene nanoplates for thermal energy storage

Abstract

The effects of mixing diatomite and graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) with xylitol were examined in this study. Form stability and thermal conductivity were also evaluated. According to the experimental results, the PCM composites exhibited a thermal conductivity of 0.403 W/mK. Melting and solidification points were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to be 89.0 °C and 36.5 °C, respectively. To maximize the thermal characteristics of the PCM, the response surface methodology (RSM) was utilized to create prediction models for thermal conductivity based on the mass fractions of diatomite and GNP. These findings highlight the importance of understanding how the introduction of nanoparticles affects thermal properties. The prospective use of PCM in thermal energy storage is enhanced by its higher solidification enthalpy, noteworthy thermal stability, and insights into the impacts of diatomite and GNP.

Keywords

• GNP
• Xylitol
• Thermal conductivity
• Shape stability
• PCM